forum Where is… here? (Closed)

Started December 26, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

(Poor Anna. Right words, wrong time)

---

De’Tearion nodded at her apology, not quite meeting her eyes.

“I know that habit well,”he replied quietly.

Her words stunned De’Tearion, freezing him in place for a long moment. His mind spun with so many conflicting thoughts over those words. He wasn’t alone. She was here. She cared! But, did she care? Or was she just acting, like so many others? Wasn’t he doomed to die in utter loneliness? Surely that was Mercy’s will. And, if so, then this was just one of her tricks. One to raise his hopes once more, until she died, or rejected him, and left him shattered and alone all over again. No. He couldn’t do it. Not again. Not again!

De’Tearion’s hands started to shake and tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head, and when he turned to walk away, he was desperately fighting tears. He wasn’t even aware of the effect his hand on Anna’s cheek had. Nor did he stop at her call when he headed for the road.

Within a few minutes, De’Tearion emerged from the forest to see the carriage and its driver. The man, who was sitting in his seat and watching his surroundings, immediately turned and froze.

De’Tearion glared, all thoughts of crying flying out of his mind as he watched the man. He heard the recognition in the man’s heartbeat. He knew who De’Tearion was, or, at least what he was. The man glanced around quickly, as if searching for other Forestfolk, or maybe Anna. De’Tearion took that opportunity to move a few steps closer. The man immediately reached into the chest beside him.

“One more move…”De’Tearion growled.

The man froze again, swallowing warily.

Anna's gaze was trained on a nearby tree. The pair stood, barely looking at each other, while she murmured, "So do I."

She felt the effect her words had on him and looked back into his eyes – just as the tears came. Worry crashed over her like a wave, and it flooded her expression immediately. Had she said something wrong? Didn't he believe her? Was he reminded too much of others who had failed their own promise of those exact words? A combination of all three?

Anna tried hard to keep up with him, but she didn't realize how far it was to the road. Her adrenaline had surged through her before, carrying her in haste to keep De'Tearion alive. But now, she was exhausted and worn out. Not just the physical toll, but the emotion of the day was starting to impact her mind. Her eyes blurred with tears as her bare feet ached and her steps began to stumble.

She finally slowed down, and De'Tearion was completely out of her line of sight when she tripped over a protruding root and collapsed to the ground. The impact was enough to completely ground her and smother her urge to get up and chase him. Her eyes became heavy, and her body begged her for rest. Slowly, she obliged. But that was when she heard something behind her. A twig snapping.

Her heart reacted and began to race, but her body lay still. Even if she had opened her eyes and seen the creature approaching her, Anna wouldn't have had the energy to scream.

(…I did an angsty thing)

De’Tearion winced at her words, looking away further. It pained him greatly to know that they shared such a habit.

He was aware of her worry as he fled from her, but he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to face that she might actually be concerned, that she might actually care. Those that cared for him died or betrayed him. He couldn’t handle that again. Never again. He had yet to heal from the wounds he’d already sustained. It wouldn’t take much to rip those wounds open until he ripped in half. And, he wanted to avoid that as long as possible.

De’Tearion didn’t notice Anna’s absence as he faced the carriage driver. He was solely focused on the man, his senses tuned to his heart, his blood, his actions. Finally, worthy prey.

“You’re him, aren’t you? The one Queen Mileena is after?”the man said, completely disrupting De’Tearion’s concentration.

However, at the sound of Mileena’s name on his lips, a growl rumbled to life. How dare he utter her name?

“You are. I can tell,”he continued.

“Bounty hunter,”De’Tearion hissed.

The man lifted his chin, acting confident despite the rising terror in his heartbeat. De’Tearion didn’t care. He shrieked at the man, then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, teleporting onto the driver’s seat. The man whipped around with a yelp. That yelp was cut off by one of De’Tearion’s hands as he grabbed the driver and teleported again.

He reappeared standing on the road, the driver dangling two feet off the ground. His proboscis shot out of his mouth and dug into the man’s chest, swerving around bone as easily as a snake moving around a tree limb. It then dug into his heart, sucking the blood straight from the source. The man could only watch in horror as De’Tearion started to feed on him, then he died.

De’Tearion drank greedily, desperately. He drank until no blood remained in the corpse. Then, he tore into it, feasting on the flesh and bones and discarding the skin.

He didn’t notice the panic that his shriek had caused in the carriage horses. Nor did he realize that the horses had bolted as he’d snatched the driver. By the time De’Tearion was ripping open the corpse, the carriage was fading out of sight.

---

Meanwhile, back in the forest, two creatures approached Anna. They were large creatures, with hunched, rotund bodies and burning charcoal-colored flesh. Their faces were indistinct except for red eyes, a flattened nose, and ugly black lips. They didn’t have visible ears, nor did they have hair. Both carried a crude axe on their back as they closed on Anna.

The creatures chuckled evilly at the sight of her, pointing and snickering more. They talked in a strange language, and motioned at Anna, as if debating what to do with her. Then, one pointed toward where De’Tearion had gone, seeming a bit wary. The other swatted the first one’s shoulder, speaking in a sarcastic tone and waving dismissively in De’Tearion’s direction. The first one shrugged.

Then, the dismissive one grabbed Anna by the ankle and lifted her off the ground. It inspected her, poking her body as if testing how fat she was. It seemed a bit disappointed, but shrugged and slung her over its shoulder, turning to walk away.

Anna was torn between her desperate need for sleep and her panic over what exactly had found her. She lay still, heart racing and eyes closed, as she listened to low, wicked laughter coming from above her. The language she heard was nothing she was familiar with, and before she knew what was happening, she was being lifted off the ground by her ankle.

She bit her tongue to keep in a yelp of pain and surprise. The creature poked her body, and Anna held her breath to keep from whimpering. Pure fear had overtaken her body now, paralyzing her and leaving her in the hands of these two horrid creatures.

The world spun as she was flung over the shoulder of the beast who had picked her up. The wind was almost knocked out of her as she was situated, then the monsters began to walk away.

No. No, she couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t just be taken. Summoning all her strength, Anna shoved herself off of the creature’s shoulder and tumbled to the ground below. She picked herself up and ran about three or four strides before her body seized up and she collapsed again. But this time, as she hit the ground, a scream burst from her lips.

(I got a little carried away with this one, lmao)

---

The creatures were quite pleased at having found easy food. Most times, humans were so difficult to catch. They fought and screamed and wiggled too much. But, this one seemed to be too lethargic to do any of that, which was grand. Their camp would have a feast, and this strange human would be the main course. One of the main courses at least, since she wasn’t very big.

However, only a few moments after they started walking, the human shoved the one carrying her and fell off his back. He immediately turned around, growling and chasing her, ignoring her noises. But, the other shoved him aside, complaining that he’d injure their food too soon. An argument started between them, one that grew louder and louder.

---

De’Tearion was nearly finished with his rushed meal when he heard a familiar scream. He quickly finished off what remained of the corpse, tossing the discarded pieces of skin into the woods. Then, he teleported to where he believed the scream to have come from.

He reappeared along the trail he’d taken to reach the road. Inhaling deeply, De’Tearion knew he was near Anna. He also smelled the foul, burning scent of the Forestfolk colloquially called Barbarians. They were dumb and brutish, and loved to eat or enslave anyone they captured. A growl escaped De’Tearion’s throat. He remembered them well.

As the arguing started, De’Tearion turned and stalked toward the source. Not too far from the trail, De’Tearion found Anna on the ground, exhausted, and being argued over by the idiotic Forestfolk.

He came into sight of the pair, and shrieked at them. His proboscis, bloody and bloated, swayed in front of his mouth. The sight scared off the milder of the two Barbarians, but the second one, the one that had carried Anna, brandished his axe.

“What you here for, Goliathan?”the Barbarian demanded as De’Tearion’s screech ended. He still spoke in the strange, gibberish language, the common tongue among the Forestfolk.

“Taking back what be mine,”De’Tearion hissed back, speaking in the same language.

“Yours? We found first!”the Barbarian snapped.

“You found her because I was finishing another meal!”De’Tearion snarled.

The Barbarian paused, eyeing De’Tearion’s bloody mouth and hands. His eyes then narrowed, the brute thinking.

“Who you? Goliathans not talk much,”he asked.

De’Tearion grinned evilly,”My name be De’Tearion.”

The Barbarian stiffened.

“No! You not him! He dead!”

“No. I am dead not. I am a rogue, wandering the island. Killing fools like you for inconveniencing me,”De’Tearion hissed.

The Barbarian’s hands started to shake. De’Tearion took that as his cue and teleported. He snatched the axe from the Barbarian’s hands, horrifying the brute. A Barbarian’s axe was typically seven feet long from end to end, and too heavy for even a built human man to lift. But, De’Tearion held it like it weighed little more than a twig, and he used it to chop its owner’s head off with one easy strike.

The Barbarian’s body fell, the head flying off into the woods. De’Tearion then tossed the axe aside, moving toward the corpse. He drank the blood gushing out the corpse’s exposed neck, using both his proboscis and his mouth to do so. The blood tasted sour, burned, but he didn’t care. He’d earned this meal properly, and he wouldn’t waste it.

As soon as she finished screaming, Anna began to sob quietly. She was going to die here on this wicked island and in this wicked forest at the hands of these wicked creatures. Her breath was gone, and she choked on the air she tried to breathe. All she could hear was a series of unintelligible statements from above her, presumably the creatures debating which one would get to kill her.

Every thought was shattered in her mind as a shriek erupted from a third creature that had entered the area. Anna flinched and felt her bladder release uncontrollably. But she was too afraid to be embarrassed that she'd wet herself. It wouldn't really matter since she'd be dead before anyone could know about it.

The woman covered her ears while curling into a trembling ball. She didn't even want to witness the third beast who would likely be the one to truly finish her off. Her eyes, wet with fearful tears, squeezed closed and refused to open.

However, that didn't stop her from listening to the creatures speaking back and forth. What could they possibly have to talk about? Which one of them would hold her still while the other… She didn't even want to finish that thought. But to her immense surprise, she heard the sounds of a fight. And within seconds, the sounds of a creature feasting on what was likely the body of the other. She didn't want to know which had one.

Anna only waited on her death, trying to keep still but shaking like a leaf. Once the victorious creature had finished feasting on the loser, they would come for her. And she'd be gone before she even got to say goodbye to anyone.

De’Tearion was completely unaware of Anna’s reactions as he spoke to and fought the Barbarians. He also ignored the one that had fled, even though it would be better if he killed it as well. But, he didn’t much care for pragmatism anymore.

He tore into the dead Barbarian with the same ravenous hunger as he had with the driver. Minutes later, De’Tearion had already eaten most of the creature’s body. But, for the first time in a long while, he was full. He’d almost certainly be regretting it later, since he’d eaten so quickly, but it was better than not eating at all.

De’Tearion simply tossed aside what was left of the corpse and went to cleaning himself. A few minutes of grooming, enough to clean himself as much as he could, and he turned back to Anna.

It took him a long moment to fully register what he saw and sensed. It was like a shock to his senses. He couldn’t believe how terrified she was, until he realized that his senses weren’t lying. The fit of tears he’d been fighting earlier hit him like a boulder, and he barely suppressed a whimper.

De’Tearion slowly approached Anna, kneeling next to her. He reached out to touch her, but quickly realized what effect that would have on her. She was terrified. She didn’t know what had happened. Delicacy was paramount. So, he retracted his hand and decided for a different route.

“Anna? Anna,”he called softly, gently.

He hoped, prayed, she would answer. He wasn’t sure if he could handle having her terror pointed at him.

Finally, the sounds of feasting stopped. For a long long while, Anna heard nothing but the occasional bird chirping or animal rustling through the leaves. Still, she was tense and afraid. Still, she forced herself to remain as still as she could, hoping to God that whatever creature still remained would leave her alone.

She didn't hear footsteps as time passed, but she didn't move. What if the creature was playing a sick game, waiting for her to move or look around before descending on her? And she was still literally frozen from fear.

After a minute more, Anna wasn't sure if she'd passed out or not. Knowing at one point she'd been lightheaded enough to will herself the rest of the way didn't help. But she'd fought it, also knowing that if she fell unconscious in these forests, she'd be as good as dead.

Tightly curled up, Anna finally heard a sound – slow footsteps that stopped right beside her. The woman's entire body was wired enough that she considered getting up and sprinting until she physically couldn't. She shifted slightly, about to shove herself up when she heard a barely audible voice. De'Tearion's.

Very slowly, Anna tilted her head to the side. Her brown eyes were brimming with clear tears, and her face was still red beneath the layer of dirt she'd gathered from the ground. Tear tracks, however, made clean lines down her face. As her gaze locked on De'Tearion, she uncurled and sat up. Her expression went from afraid to relieved, to concerned to confused in seconds.

"D-D-De'Teari-Tearion?" she stammered hesitantly, looking him over for any sign of a well-placed fake. Maybe this wasn't even him. Anna was so tired and had been so petrified that maybe she was now hallucinating. "Is-Is-Is that y-y-you?"

De’Tearion noticed her shift, recognizing her readiness to flee. It was a good thing he didn’t touch her. She might have bolted anyway. And, just the thought of that frightened him.

After he spoke, De’Tearion watched her slowly look up. The expression on her face made a tear slide down his cheek. A tear that he quickly wiped away. He didn’t want to admit how ready he was to burst into another crying fit.

He didn’t move as she sat up. He simply waited. Her changing expressions concerned him, but not as much as her trembling words. He wanted to hug her so badly, to reassure her that everything was alright, but he was afraid to.

“Aye,”he answered quietly.

He looked away, afraid again that she’d run off. If she did, maybe the impact of her absence wouldn’t be as harsh if he didn’t see it. Though, part of him knew that was a false hope. It would tear him apart whether he saw her leave or not.

“I realized not that you were exhausted. I would have slowed down. I…”he trailed off with a sigh, his voice still barely audible.

Anna noticed the tear just before he wiped it away. He was crying? Why? Was it because of how pitiful she looked? Probably. She could feel the layer of grime on her face and several leaves and twigs poking her from their positions in her hair.

Her clothes were dusty from the ground and matted with dirt. Her bare feet were dirty too, and so sore she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk on her own much longer.

De’Tearion was speaking again. Anna took deep breaths, as deep as she could take with her tired lungs, and calmed down as she listened to him. She wasn’t in danger. Whatever the danger had been, De’Tearion had saved her from it. And now here he was, going back and emphasizing how he could’ve slowed down to accommodate her.

But Anna didn’t care. He’d saved her life from whatever creatures had planned on abducting her and likely eating her. She threw her arms around him and cried into his chest. “Thank you,” she managed to get out around the sobs. “For saving me.”

De’Tearion took in her ragged appearance, the dirt, the grime, the tears, and all he felt was guilt. He had done this to her, regardless of whether it was directly or not. He had caused this benevolent woman so much pain in less than a day. He wished he could take it all back. Spare her the anguish of being in his presence.

But, not long after he spoke, she was lunging at him and wrapping her arms around him. He froze, too stunned to react. She was hugging him. She was actually hugging him, despite nearly dying because he hadn’t paid attention to her. He almost questioned her, but she answered him before he even opened his mouth. She was thanking him.

Tears immediately started pouring from his eyes at that and De’Tearion shakily wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. He rocked back and forth, for both their sakes as they cried.

“You are welcome, Anna,”he breathed, nuzzling into her hair and closing his eyes.

Anna felt him freeze as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She was still trembling slightly as she clung to him, refusing to let go. A shaky sigh of relief escaped her as he wrapped his arms back around her too.

The gentle rocking back and forth motion began to soothe her enough that she closed her eyes. The exhaustion weighting on her finally began to have its way with her as her eyes drifted shut. She sighed rather loudly at the feeling of De’Tearion nuzzling her hair. It felt very good, and she didn’t really have enough energy to control the sound of soft pleasure.

Slowly, her entire body relaxed and went limp with unconsciousness. Anna faded from the world into a deep, dreamless sleep. But not before she murmured, “Ákle-Ikli… stay with me… please.” Then she succumbed to the fatigue, and her head rested limply against his chest.

(Peeking in on some of De’Tearion’s trauma, so fair warning)

---

De’Tearion heard Anna’s sigh of relief keenly, and it reminded him of Agatha so much. Even the way her exhaustion caught up to her, and the sound she made as he nuzzled into her hair. It was all reminiscent of Agatha. And, it tore at him.

Then, her words… his name… her plea… She fell asleep immediately after, something that De’Tearion was too stunned to notice. No one ever called him by his first name. He typically refused to let anyone do that. But… the way she said it. The way she seemed to genuinely care and need him. It seemed almost… normal. It nagged at him. It had never felt normal. Or, so he had tried to convince himself for most of his life.

After all, his parents had been the only ones to call him by his first name. Not even Agatha, his sister, had called him that. Agatha had always called him ‘Tearion’. Mileena and Nwalan had as well, though Nwalan also called him ‘Ehumar’, which translated to ‘Brother’. But, his first name had always been reserved for his parents, which was why there was so much pain in it.

His mother had died while he was only a few centuries old, a toddler in the eyes of Goliathans. She had been a proper mother to De’Tearion and Agatha, protecting both of them when no one else would. Her use of his first name had been to soothe him, to let him know that she cared for both him and his sister, in equal measure. Agatha’s leucism made no difference in their beloved mother’s eyes.

His father, however, had been a bastard, and nothing more. He had despised Agatha, would’ve rather left her for dead, and hated that De’Tearion had actually given a shit about her. He would always scold him, yelling his name specifically so everyone would know the target of his wrath. Then, in private, he would beat him down, searing the words of ‘you will never be a proper De’Tearion’ into his head. That was why his father called him by his first name, because he refused to call him by his family name until he’d ‘earned’ it. And, when his father died, De’Tearion had been glad.

But, with Anna, it reminded him of his sister, but also of his mother. Agatha had always begged him to stay, to hold her until the moon rose no more. Yet, Anna wasn’t quite like Agatha. She seemed closer to his mother. She was at least closer in maturity to her. Anna herself was a mother. And, she was definitely more maternal than Agatha had ever been.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know what to think of all that. He’d never truly gotten over his mother’s death, much like Agatha’s. Maybe… just maybe… Anna would help him find closure for both of them. Hopefully, in a way that didn’t end in more tragedy.

“I will, Anna. I will,”he breathed.

He finally realized she was asleep, and was tempted of joining her. Though, he decided against that when he recalled that there was a corpse nearby. He would travel a bit, and when she woke, they would hopefully be in a safer spot.

So, De’Tearion slowly got up, being careful not to jostle Anna too much. He called on his second pair of arms to appear, scooping her legs up with one and grabbing the fallen blankets she’d wrapped him in earlier with the other. Then, he headed back toward the road.

When he reached it, he decided to follow the road while staying under the cover of trees. He turned north, toward the capital of Rehnethrigard. He hadn’t seen Hafgen before, and maybe the city would ease Anna’s worries about survival. It was a big risk on his part, since he still had a bounty on his head, but he figured Anna was worth it. Even if he was captured or killed, he wanted to do right by Anna. It would, at the very least, give him peace before his end.

Anna was completely gone after she spoke. She barely realized the words she’d just spoken and didn’t know about the spiral of thoughts that she’d started in De’Tearion. Her existence in the world was nothing more than a woman’s body limp with unconsciousness and exhaustion. His confirming words were unheard, but Anna sighed quietly by chance, almost like a response.

She was even too tired to realize how dirty she was. Anna was a particularly clean and organized woman before she had come to the forests of Rehnethrigard. Now, her feet were bare and sore, her clothes were ripped and in tatters, her hair was tangled and filled with leaves, and her face was covered in dirt. But for the first time, she looked peaceful in the new world she’d been thrown into, even if it was only in her sleep.

As De’Tearion rose to his feet, Anna curled up against him. She let her head fall against his chest and unconsciously smiled at being cradled against his body. It was comforting, and Anna savored little affectionate touches. She moaned a bit as he lifted her legs with his second arm, but she only stirred enough to be noticeable for a second and not to wake herself. She was still unbelievably tired.

De’Tearion heard Anna’s sigh and debated if she had actually responded to him or not. Considering her exhaustion, she probably hadn’t even heard him. But, it gave him hope to think that she had been replying to him, so that’s what he believed.

De’Tearion barely noticed how ragged Anna looked. After all, he wasn’t exactly clean either. His hair was knotted up, his robe was steadily fraying at the bottom, and he was coated in dirt, grime, and blood. That also wasn’t including the effects his declining health had had on his appearance.

A pleased chirp escaped De’Tearion as Anna curled against him. He loved cradling those he cared about, and her noises clearly showed that Anna enjoyed being cradled. He made a mental note to cradle her often as long as he was near Anna.

A good while passed as De’Tearion walked. He kept moving at a steady, silent pace. His senses paid close attention to his surroundings, but also to Anna. Her slumbering heartbeat was extremely relaxing. Much like Mileena’s had been. He would stay in her bedroom while she slept, savoring the sound of her heart, and sometimes falling asleep to its tune. He missed doing that. But, now he could do it in a different way, and with someone who hopefully stayed with him.

Anna was oblivious to the world around her as she slept. She was so exhausted that her sleep was dreamless, and the gentle movements of De’Tearion carrying her lulled her even deeper into sleep.

By the time Anna began to stir awake, any tension that had been left in her body from the terrifying encounter with the Barbarians was gone. Her eyes fluttered briefly, and she was rocked awake by the sway of De’Tearion’s body as he walked.

Slowly, Anna truly woke up and yawned. “De’Tearion?” she asked softly. “Where are we?”

De’Tearion kept walking and listening. Finally, he heard Anna’s heartbeat change. She was waking. Slowly, but still waking.

He then noticed her yawn, and expected her words before she even said them. He didn’t miss her use of his family name now compared to his first name earlier. Though, whether it was intentional or not had yet to be seen.

“Near the road. We are heading north toward Hafgen, the capital of Rehnethrigard. ‘Tis safer land than the forests,”De’Tearion answered, his voice just as soft as hers.

Anna sighed and shifted her body to press into him deeper. She was still half asleep, and she was debating going back to sleep. De’Tearion’s arms just felt so nice, and the rhythm he walked to was enough to make her sleepy again.

Her eyes opened a bit, but they shut a second later. For now, she would just relax and enjoy the sway of his arms rocking her gently. It took a second for his words to land in her state, but they did.

She blinked and forced her eyes to stay open as she looked up at him. “You can’t go there,” she protested quietly. “There will be people.”

De’Tearion adjusted his grip as Anna shifted, cradling her even more. He could hear the indecisiveness in her heartbeat regarding whether she wanted to sleep some more or not. He honestly didn’t mind either way. It was nice to hold someone so close, even while walking. He had dearly missed it.

“I have been in a human city before. That be how I met Mileena. Yet, there indeed be risk for me still. I can only hope King Magnus will tolerate my presence long enough to get supplies for you,”De’Tearion mentioned.

He did worry that he would be caught by bounty hunters, but he already had a contingency planned for Anna if that happened. He would introduce Anna as a noble from the Mainland. It fit her foreignness, and would allow Anna to have all the comfort she could ever want in case De’Tearion was taken. King Magnus supposedly took good care of his subjects, particularly the aristocrats, and the entire island knew of his fascination with foreigners.

Anna was too tired to notice how he adjusted his arms around her while she moved to get comfortable. Her eyelids were heavy, but she forced herself to stay awake anyway. She had no idea how long De’Tearion had been walking silently so as not to wake her. The least she could do was keep him company.

She flushed lightly. It should have been obvious, but not much was at the moment with her tired and exhausted mental state. Though some of the thinge he said worried Anna. “De’Tearion,” she murmured. “Promise me you’ll be safe. Or I won’t go.” She would not enter the capital city without him.

Anna had no idea of the plans he had to introduce her as. Though she surely looked as far from a noblewoman as she could be. On a whim, her stomach growled and seemed to wrench itself inside of her chest. Anna winced and curled tighter in De’Tearion’s arms. She was so hungry, and it was catching up to her now, just like her exhaustion.

As Anna settled, De’Tearion heard the continuing conflict in her heartbeat. She was tired, but she wanted to stay awake. It didn’t make much sense to him. He didn’t mind the quiet. In fact, he liked quiet, especially the tranquil kind that came from holding a sleeping ally.

“If you wish to sleep, then rest. It will hinder me not,”he cooed gently.

“I will try, Anna, yet my safety be never guaranteed. ‘Tis the way of things here on the island,”De’Tearion said with a sigh.

Then, he heard her stomach growl. De’Tearion paused in his walking, looking at Anna inquisitively.

“When was your last meal?”he asked softly.

If she hadn’t eaten anything, then he would gladly hunt for her. He was already starving, and he didn’t want her to join him in that ordeal.

Anna's eyes shut for a long moment before his gentle coo made her look at him. Her expression was soft and purely genuine as she said, "But I don't want you to be alone."

His answer put her on edge. If his safety was never guaranteed as a powerful creature of the forests, then what were her chances of survival here. Incredibly, irrefutably low. Anna was too tired to stop the shiver that ran through her. "I only wish for your safety," she murmured. Worry for the both of them coursed through her body.

She blinked as he stopped and blushed heavily. Well, Anna been with him nearly the entire time here, and the last thing she ate was a salad for dinner the night before. Not exactly sustainable, but then again, she never could have predicted the situation she was in now.

"Yesterday," Anna answered quietly. "Last night, to be specific. That is if time on Earth passes the same as time here."

Hearing her words made De’Tearion’s eyes grow moist. He then glanced down at her and her expression nearly snapped his composure. It was so nice to finally have someone who cared. But, would it last?

“I appreciate that… truly. Yet, your presence on its own be immensely comforting,”De’Tearion said softly.

De’Tearion sensed the growing tension in her, and sighed softly when she shivered. Her words once again hit a nerve, but he remained mostly composed this time.

“This island be dangerous all around, yet the dangers live mostly in the forests. The human cities be much safer, except for the societal dangers,”De’Tearion reassured her.

For some reason, De’Tearion’s eyes were drawn to her blush. The sound of the blood flowing more heavily in her cheeks was likely a contribution, but it seemed like something else was going on in him. He just couldn’t figure out what. She looked quite beautiful with a blush though.

He then hummed at her answer. He didn’t know about this ‘Earth’ place, nor did he know much about time, but he knew that if Anna hadn’t eaten since the previous night then she was likely ravenous now.

“Let me hunt for you. Hafgen be days away, unless we are fortunate enough to encounter faster transport again. And, you need to eat,”De’Tearion offered gently.

Anna noticed the way he looked at her, and she blinked worriedly. She’d meant what she’d said. She truly didn’t want De’Tearion to be alone. The promise she’d made earlier replayed in her mind, and Anna have every intention of upholding it. You're not alone anymore. I'm here. And I'm staying.

“Oh,” she murmured. Even asleep, she comforted him? It was more than she could say for certain others who had been in her life.

Anna pursed her lips at his words. She hoped that was really true and he wasn’t saying such things just to calm her down. “Alright,” she murmured. “But we must be careful.”

Her blush deepened as he stared at her face. Her cheeks were turning pink under the layer of dirt in her face. Maybe they could find some sort of river or lake where she could wash clean. It was then she remembered that she had pissed herself in fear earlier, and the blush grew with embarrassment. She likely smelled God-awful and had no extra clothes to change into.

“Days?” she asked faintly. Though the thought of food was very tempting, Anna’s hand tightened on De’Tearion reflexively. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered fearfully. “Stay with me. Please.” The same words she had said before falling unconscious. It remained to be seen if they were intentionally similar or not.

De’Tearion knew his reactions concerned her, but he wasn’t sure how to explain it. He wasn’t used to having someone worried about him. Not anymore. And, to have someone promise him they’d never leave… No one had ever said that. No one.

Then, in regards to her comforting presence, he just hated being alone. After Agatha, and after Mileena, he had been truly alone. No friendly face, or any face at all, in sight for years. De’Tearion didn’t do well in total isolation, as evidenced by his health.

He was being honest about the dangers of the Island. The forests were the worst part of the island. The human cities were the most peaceful places on the island, but they were still cities. They still had risks.

“Always,”he agreed softly. His tone showed that he was quite used to being careful.

De’Tearion saw and heard her blush deepen. A small smile lifted his lips. Though, as embarrassment entered her scent, De’Tearion remembered that she had been terrified earlier, and that she was a mess. Hm… weren’t they near a forest trail with a pond? He swore the trail had been around somewhere in the vicinity, though it had been decades since he’d last been to it.

“Aye. I did mention this earlier. Yet, we were headed not to Hafgen then,”he remarked.

He flinched as she tightened her grip on him, the tears coming back into his eyes at her words, those familiar words. He couldn’t help averting his eyes for a second, and he took a couple deep breaths to compose himself.

“You realize not how often I have said the same words,”he breathed as an explanation for his recurring emotions.

He then shook away the memories trying to rush forward and chuckled mirthlessly.

“I will never abandon you… as long as you vow to never abandon me,”he said, a tear sliding down his face despite his best efforts.

“Yet… there be a dilemma to your plea. How will you eat? Do you know how to hunt?”he asked softly.

Anna had a likely guess about why he was reacting the way he did. From everything he had told her, she was sure De’Tearion had been abandoned in some way by everyone who had mattered in his life. Even if it was death, the feeling of abandonment had ripped him apart on the inside. Anna wanted to see him back together as best she could.

She nodded at his confirmation. As much as she worried for him going into a human city, she knew that it would be worth the risk if they managed to get supplies and find decent clothes. Though where would they get the money? Would De’Tearion even be allowed in the city? Anna had so many questions and so few answers.

However, the woman was too caught up in her predicament to notice his smile. She knew she likely smelled awful. Anna couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be to enter the human city looking and smelling the way she did. They would hardly make it in before they attracted stares. And that wasn’t counting on who and what De’Tearion was.

Anna frowned slightly with confusion. “Then where are we headed?” she asked.

Though he flinched, Anna’s grip did not falter. While her body had relaxed from the encounter with the Barbarians, that didn’t mean she’d forgotten it. What if it happened again? What if the creature that found her next time was worse?

She blinked quickly as De’Tearion teared up and looked away. Her expression softened at his words. “I might,” Anna whispered. She too had begged people to stay in her life. It never ended well for her.

“I swear it,” she answered immediately. Anna reached up and wiped tears from his eyes. The black stained her hands, but she wasn’t fazed. “I won’t ever abandon you, Ákle-Ikli.”

Anna hesitated. “I don’t know,” she replied meekly. “I can’t hunt. But please… I don’t want to be alone here.” Fear lingered in her eyes. If De’Tearion was with her, she felt safe. If not… who knew what other wicked being might find her and decided she was a lovely snack.

De’Tearion barely noticed Anna’s smell. Mostly because he didn’t smell too great either. They would both benefit from a bath, particularly going into Hafgen, a city full of aristocratic, judgemental merchants.

“Hafgen. What I meant was, when I first mentioned how far away it be, we were headed there not. Yet, now, we are,”De’Tearion clarified.

De’Tearion understood why she didn’t release him. She was afraid to, afraid she’d be hunted down again, possibly by something worse. After all, Barbarians were mild compared to other Forestfolk. They were just dumb brutes. The rest of the Forestfolk were far more intelligent, and far more cruel.

He warily looked back at her when he heard her whisper. She knew his pain? She understood? Did he dare believe it?

Her immediate vow brought forth a small gasp from De’Tearion. Then, as she wiped his face and said his first name again, his composure fell apart.

He tenderly set her feet on the ground so she was standing in front of him, then he wrapped her in a tight hug. Tears steadily poured from his eyes as he did so, but he didn’t allow himself to truly cry until his arms, all four, one still holding blankets, were around her.

He wanted to tell Anna how grateful he was that she seemed so determined to stay with him. He wanted to tell her about how much she reminded him of his mother. He wanted to tell her… He wanted to say so much! But, the words caught in his throat, held down by his tears.

So far, Anna had been so very good to him. Did he even deserve her? After everything he’d ever done? After all that cruel Mercy had thrown at him? Had he finally, finally met someone that wouldn’t leave him?

A few minutes passed before he finally calmed down and he rested his cheek against her shoulder. He continued to hold her, finding immense comfort in it.

“I hope your vow rings true. For both our sakes,”he breathed.

He then straightened a bit, his mind slowly but steadily returning to its regular calculations. The moment De’Tearion sensed her fear, he kissed the top of her head.

“Alright. Let us see if there be something on the way we can catch. I know a trail near here that also has a pond where we can clean up a bit. I believe we both are desperate for that,”he said gently.

Anna listened to his clarification and nodded. "Oh, right," she murmured. Her blush still remained on her face, clearly having no intent to go away.

She noticed his wary look and smiled sadly. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes instinctively. She knew very well what he meant.

De'Tearion's gasp alarmed her. Had she said something wrong again? She wouldn't be able to bear it if he ran away from her promises again. She meant them, dammit! Couldn't he see that? She-

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as he set her down. Panic flitted across her face. No. He was going to leave her here. She'd be dead within minutes, Anna had no doubt of that. But then, De'Tearion's arms wrapped around her and pulled her against his body in an encasing, gentle hug.

Anna's lips fell open, and soft shock donned on her face. Her heart calmed down. He wasn't leaving. He was staying. And hugging her. The embrace of four arms instead of two startled Anna for a moment, but she wrapped her arms around him too and hugged him back. Her own tears fell down her cheeks as she rested her head against him and completely let herself relax in his arms. Though she worried for a moment as she hoped he would speak and got silence in return.

They held each other like that for a while, and Anna lost track of time. But she didn't care. No one, not even Harry, had held her this way. With such reverence and gentleness and care.

De'Tearion's soft words made her worry a bit, wondering what exactly he meant. But he had already lifted his head off of her shoulder. The kiss he placed on her hair made Anna blink quickly. She felt chills shoot through her body and knew what that meant. She'd felt something similar when she and Harry had shared their first kiss as a couple. Anna was very quickly falling for him.

Thankfully, before she said or did anything stupid, De'Tearion was already speaking again. "Yes," she agreed quietly, pressing her palm to her cheek to hide just how pink her face was.

“My accent be difficult for humans to get used to, or understand. I know this from experience,”he soothed her. His eyes kept drifting to her reddened cheeks, drawn to them by the sound of her blood.

Her sad smile and forming tears confirmed his fears. She did know what it was like to beg for companionship, to not be abandoned. Mercy have him, why did such cruelty exist in the world? Why did such horrible things have to happen to such a kind woman?

De’Tearion noted all of her reactions, but simply continued with what he was doing until his arms were around her. He heard her heartbeat and smelled her tears as she wrapped her arms around him. They both needed this, desperately.

After kissing her head, De’Tearion heard a shift in Anna’s heartbeat, and smelled her growing attraction to him. It reminded him of a friend he once had, a human woman named Alexandra. She had been the Court Sorceress to Mileena’s father, and had fallen in love with him, though his heart had belonged to Mileena. She had sounded and smelled the same way for a long while… until that day when everything went wrong. When De’Tearion had killed Mileena’s father.

He quickly focused back on Anna and heard her agreement. He then glanced down at her and couldn’t help another small smile at her blush.

“Come,”he bade softly.

De’Tearion gently unraveled from Anna, then slowly headed away, keeping a casual pace so Anna could easily keep up. He then placed a hand on the small of her back as they walked. He barely registered the movement, but the contact helped keep him relaxed.

A few minutes later, they came across a subtle trail leading deeper into the forest. He turned onto it, keeping an eye on his surroundings at all times. Then, about ten minutes later, they came to a clearing with two ponds. One was large, but fairly shallow, going only waist deep on Anna. The other was smaller and deeper, and seemed newer as well. Fish swam around in the little pond.

De’Tearion checked his surroundings again, and was glad for the relative quiet. He then moved away from Anna to investigate the smaller pond. It had been decades since he’d last been in the clearing, and there had only been one pond then. Someone must have dug the small one out and added fish to it, which would allow for an easy snack to any passerby. A brilliant idea actually.

“You can bathe first. I will guard, and see about catching some fish,”De’Tearion offered.

Despite his reassurance, Anna still felt as though she should have understood him. They'd been around each other for how long now. Though a self-conscious flare burst to life in her as she noticed De'Tearion's eyes flickering over her face. She probably looked a mess, and it only made her blush harder if that was even possible.

The hug was desperate on both ends. They each clutched the other like it was their only chance of survival. And Anna knew that for her, at least, it was. If she ever lost De'Tearion in these woods, she'd be dead within minutes. But now it wasn't just a fear of her survival. It was also an added fear for his well-being. She wanted nothing more than happiness for the creature who had experienced nothing but pain, suffering, loss, and heartbreak. She'd do anything she could to help him.

The instant he bade her to come, Anna obeyed. She followed along beside him, picking her way over dead leaves and protruding roots. Every so often, she'd hiss slightly as a twig poked the bottom of her still-bare feet. But other than that, she was silent through the little journey… until she felt something graze the small of her back.

She nearly jumped, worried it was something trying to take her away again. It would seize her clothing and drag her into the undergrowth before she so much as had a chance to scream. But as she whipped her gaze over to De'Tearion, Anna noticed the angle of his arm. She smiled shyly and kept walking, grateful for the reassuring touch. She was safe again. Nothing could harm her if De'Tearion stood beside her.

Anna eyed the trail and was relieved when they followed it. It was a flatter path, and much easier on her than the uneven and unreliable ground of the true forest floor. Her eyes widened at the sight of the ponds. She grinned eagerly and made her way over to the larger pond as De'Tearion went to the smaller one. She knelt beside it and ran her fingers through the water. It almost brought a relieved laugh from her lips.

Her head turned to look at De'Tearion as he spoke. Then, of course, her blush returned heavily as she realized what he meant. "Oh, um… yes. Alright." She rose to her feet and reached up to unbutton her blouse, then she paused. "Would you, uh, mind… turning around?" she asked quietly.