Chapter Text
A/N:
Hello and Welcome to our new project. This is another collab with the wonderful Geertwhim and me.
Its already finished and will be uploaded on Saturday (As usual). Schedule might change but so far its set as this. If it changes, you will be notified in the A/N of the chapter.
So yeah, have fun and leave a comment/vote if you like it :)
But now, lets start:
Chapter 1: Call to adventure
It was a chilly autumn eve, the mildew dripping from the dying leaves - they burst in brilliant reds and oranges. The fog was now fading under the last rays of the sun, although none of its warmth filled the atmosphere, only the lingering chill of the fog could be felt.
Amongst the mist a small faun sat on a fence belonging to a pasture that connected to a quaint little farmhouse, rustic in appearance. Glass and logs created it's form; yet the faun would not dare to go near it nor dare to cross over the fence on which he sat, for the masters of the house would not be pleased in such disobedience to the rules of the land. So he sat in a bundle with a book in his fuzzy lap only being able to dream what real freedom from captivity would be.
Oh how he longed to know the forest, streams and mountains that surrounded their lodge no matter how many times he was told it could never be; it never stopped him from dreaming. In his mind he was free. One day he'd leave that place but today was not the day, but one day he'd be brave enough to leave the fence that bound him. One day.
"Brett, come in for breakfast!"
A woman's voice called out into the pasture for him. He honestly felt like a family pet rather than a living being. However, he considered himself lucky considering most other sheep or goat folk were treated as livestock, so maybe it was by grace that he was treated lovingly. He carefully closed the leather bound book then hopped down to trot to the barn where the mistress of the house waited with the food.
"Good morning, Mrs. Wilson" The faun smiled as he approached the lady. His stride was cautious yet he carried a careless attitude that said he was his own master despite the figurative chains he wore.
"Good morning," she smiled before growing more somber, "I saw you on the fence young faunling. What about those woods that starve your curiosity, I do so wonder?"
Brett sensed it was a trick question meant to cause him to stumble into a trap, yet, his lady seemed too kind for such petty ways. Thus he thought it would be the cruel mister who set up his mistress to ask such a thing.
"Nothing about it starves my curiosity. I am merely admiring its beauty. I am sure you also admire its beauty during these lonely and chilly mornings. Despite its beauty, I also know its dangers along with being fully aware that I am only a simple faun with no hope of survival in such a place. The safety here is much more comforting than a certain death out there." The faunling assured with a lie, but he saw something in the mistress's eyes that he'd never seen before: Fear.
As quickly as her eyes showed the unknown emotion it disappeared once she caught the stern look of her husband which made the women hide such a look behind a smile but her eyes could not lie. They were as the leather bound book with the words flying from the pages.
The elegant woman carefully ruffled the fauns hair then brushed it back behind his ears to fix what she had messed up before wiping her delicate hands on her silky apron, "Go run off and enjoy your breakfast my dear. Don't idle around there is always work to be done."
Brett slowly nodded as he grasped the bagel and the jam into his small hands, then quickly trotted off. His mind whirled. This was very strange indeed, the thought let him furrow his brows.
They knit together as the gears in his head turned furiously trying to figure out what the meaning of the look was. It was entirely new to his knowledge but not everything is seen but rather hidden amongst the light; not everything that seemed to be good was good. Some masks hid something more sinister. At least that was what Brett found himself believing, especially after the strange encounter he had.
Once again he reached the pasture where lots of his sheep friends roamed. The air was light and the scene peaceful. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath of the familiar yet sweet scents of flowers, grass and of course the morning dew that covered it's tears over the small blades. It was serene in its nature and pure at heart; nonetheless something was creeping on the land yet it wasn't necessarily a corruption.
"Little sheep little sheep? Are you afraid?", something whispered from the treeline that marked where the forest began. Something slunk beneath its shade, lurking, "I bid you not to fear me for I do not mean to bring you harm."
Brett looked around frantically until he saw the silhouette that belonged to the voice, it seemed part man and part puma; a deadly adversary if need be, "Show yourself one of the centaur folk. Why would such a thing approach a measly faun like me if it is not for the means of breakfast?" he spoke with heavy sarcasm along with an eye roll for he did not fear death nor fair folk.
"If I was here to eat you, you would've been eaten by now," the puma stalked around the fence with a dangerous glint in his gleaming yellow eyes, "I wouldn't want to eat something so pitiful anyways, I'm more of a fan of deer; however, that is beside the point. My troubles are not with you but rather the master of the house and it is my heart that wills me to help those under his clutches. He has wronged our people for a long time which I do not appreciate."
"And what makes you think I am under his clutches?" Brett scoffed as he watched the creature.
"Hmmm, I don't thinkI know little sheep. I have seen it all before, it's the same old story. Mankind doesn't change they were made by design to be cruel to creatures such as you and me," he sing songedly as he reached the fence with a smile, "So little sheep hear my word and believe what I must say, it would be better for you to run away and change your fate. Do not stay in your cage but dare to fly free. Let me paint the picture for you; look around and you will see, none of your other brethren are in the pastures today. Sold, sheared, or have become lamb chops for disobedience. After all, it is that time of year. Your mistress has been protecting your life from her husband since you have the favor from her it seems, but you will not be safe for long; there is only so much that she can do to protect you."
Brett looked around realizing in fact that he was alone and no sound accepted their voices as the soft rustle of the leaves lingered in the pastures. In his heart he mourned for he knew the pumas' words to be true with the world around him so silent, "Where would I go? Surely I would welcome death if I tried to run..."
"But you'd die free instead of in this prison." The puma slowly offered his hand to the faunling, "Come with me I can bring you somewhere safe."
"I don't even know you and you could be lying," Brett felt anxious for the first time during their encounter perhaps it was due to his sudden awareness of how alone he actually was. He glanced towards the clawed hand shakily then slowly grabbed it.
"My name is Ray, and I am sorry if I startled you earlier. There now you know who I am." The man flashed a gorgeous grin as he tilted his head to the side, "Trust is earned not given, so you don't need to trust me but I am a better option then your current predicament."
He helped the small faun over the fence with the utmost care.
"My name is Brett," his words came out as a barely audible whisper, "Besides the personal vendetta against my masters why are you helping me?"
"Nice to meet you Brett, but right now is not the time for introductions. We must move quickly," Ray spoke calmly but with great warning, "As I said before it is just my heart to do so. I don't want to see others suffer," he whispered as they made their way back to the tree line, when suddenly, a clicking noise was heard.
The sound belonged to a rifle that's rounds were being reloaded. Then the shot came! A bullet whirled right past Ray's head, lightly grazing his ear, until it found its resting place deeply embedded into the trunk of a great oak tree.
"Run!" Ray shouted as he bolted with the little faun just trying to keep up. His stubby legs were not as fast as the centaurs powerful gallop but the fear that overtook him made Brett keep going.
Distant shouting could be heard behind them along with the sound of dog barks cutting through the air.
It was now a hunt and they were the prey.
~
The colors burst past them, shades of beryl, gamboges with the complimenting undertone of crimson. If only they could slip into the safety of the chroma without fear of the hunter and the hunted. Alas the crisp colours of the fall could not hide them from the danger that followed in pursuit. The leaves crisply crunched under the pounding of paws, hooves and heavy boots.
Although there were gunshots and loud barking, Brett could not hear it. The only thing that rang in his ears was his uncontrollable heart beat, it felt as if it was stuck in his throat. It was almost painful. What came over him, he did not know. All that he knew was that he followed a stranger into an unknown habitat and if he were to get caught he'd face a severe punishishment for running. Most likely his own death.
Brett was clueless on why he made such a dumb decision, perhaps it was because of the other male feeding into his fantasy of finally being free and wild; however, he was also thinking that he should of left it as a fantasy and nothing more, yet here he was with no other choice but to run.
Ray took a sharp turn, grasping the younger mythical beast to pull him flush to himself.
"Shhhhh," he spoke hushly as they stood hidden between roots and stone. The goal was to stay lying low. They could hear the rustling of leaves and the pressing of the dogs noses with their loud sniffs trying to pick up the scent of the runaway along with the thief. The noises caused Brett to panic internally but Ray knew that the morning dew along with the mist would prevent the dogs from clearly sniffing their scents.
A few minutes passed them by, it felt like an eternity, but they waited in silence before finally letting a breath out of their lungs.
"It seems that they have passed us by, so let us make it quickly before your master realizes he has been fooled," the puma gave a toothy grin as his tail swayed in small delight or perhaps annoyance.
The sheep wheezed finally letting out all of his panic in this situation "I am going to be in so much trouble!? This is so stupid! Why did I decide to do this?!"
Ray tilted his head back as he let a warm sounding chuckle out, "Well you can't turn back now unless becoming dog food sounds better than your quote on quote dumb decision. Oh little sheep don't fear this is the least of your worries right now."
Brett looked up at the taller as a frown spread across his face, "You got me into this mess!"
"And you're the one who accepted my hand so we could play the blame game all day but that will not change the situation that you're in, now will it?" The puma let the sheep go as he looked into its eyes as he softly smiled, "Now are you ready to move?"
Brett let his shoulders slump forward in defeat as he sighed, trying to gather the confidence that filled him earlier then he nodded to tell Ray that he accepted going further into this venture. He lifted himself from the tree roots to fully stand to his hooves.
"Lead the way," Brett huffed with crossed arms as he nuzzled his face into his wool trying not to seem too sulky around the puma. He heard another chuckle but decided not to say anything as he settled for just listening to the soft noises.
"How about to kill time while walking by exchanging stories between one another and ask questions?" Ray suggested as he took long strides making sure to stay near the tree and rock wall so it could be used as their protection from being seen.
Brett quirked an eyebrow gaining some interest in the suggested idea. It pricked his curiosity because he had the need for knowledge; after all knowledge was power and his species wasn't very strong physically so he had to find another way to keep control, "I have a question then. Why do you have a vendetta against my master?"
"The vendetta was not started by my own desire but rather through the concern of a friend," Ray looked away as he began to tell his tale, "It was a cool morning much like this one the only difference was that the leaves were blooming in green as spring washed away the bitterness of winter; however, it also brought a new threat. The morning was musty and heavy with fog. This is a common time for us wild folk to be out to graze, because no one can see us but that also works to our disadvantage for what we didn't know was that a hunter also lurked in the foggy morning. He had mistaken one of the deerlings under my protection as a full blood. So without thought he took the shot. The bullet could be heard whistling through the air but it was too late because it had already dug into the shoulder of its target."
"But don't you like to eat deer? Did your friend die?" Brett leaned forward curiously as his ears perked in interest, "I hear that the deer folk are things of beauty much like the elves and the fairies."
"I do like to eat deer but I also have a select few that are very dear to me so I try to protect them from predators. No, he did not die but the man you called master bond him then cut his antlers as if some trophy. What a cruel man," Ray sighed as he looked down at the small fuzzy creature, "Indeed they are beautiful, majestic and everything else that is natural but they could never measure up to the fairies or elves but perhaps they can make up for that in their personalities, for they are a lot kinder than those creatures."
Brett blinked owlishly as his head tilted in thought, he could faintly recall when his master had come home with a pair of bloodied antlers but not game which was strange at the time, but now it made sense.
"Do you think I'll be able to meet any elves?!" He decided to ask excitedly instead, wanting to lighten the mood plus the fair folk have always intrigued him, "Sometimes at night I would be able to see the light that radiated from them when they'd pass through these forests. How I would love to meet them."
Ray chuckled as he listened to Brett with a grin on his face. He shook his head slightly to the excitement finding it almost cute in an amusing way, "Well if you're accepted to the community then I suppose that you'll be able to meet them. Can you climb cliff edges like a goat?"
"Well I am part goat so I might be able to. Why do you ask?"
Ray used the simple turn of his head to gesture to the stone fall of a rocky ledge, "Our destination is up."
Brett's ears twitched as they soon lay flat to his hair and pointed back as he stared up in anxiety, "What if we fall?!"
"I guess we'll die then," Ray shrugged nonchalantly since it was fact, "So try not to fall little sheep."
"Like that helps!" His ears stayed pressed to his hair as he exclaimed in some sort of panic trying not to think of his untimely doom he'd surely face. His Adams apple bobbed with a nervous gulp, "Uh, maybe I could just hang on to your back, please?"
Brett didn't want to admit but he was scared of heights so if he even dared to look down while climbing he'd probably stiffen up and fall admittedly. Thin fingers bunched up into thick wool as they trembled ever so slightly.
"Please..." he begged not wanting to do it.
The puma seemed to take pity on the small creature so with a sigh he cradled the thing carefully in his arms before guiding the faun to mount his back, "Okay. I won't let you fall."
Brett fisted his hands into the stronger males shoulders as he made sure that he was secure as the puma started to put his climbing skills to use. Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down; was all the sheepling could think while they grew further and further from the safe ground. It was unnatural to be that high up, man and creature alike were meant to stay grounded! At least that's what the sheep thought. His face scrunched up to signal that he had screwed his eyes shut to avoid seeing what exactly he was dangling from.
"We are almost to the top don't let your panic set in," the line of Ray's shoulders flexed as he reached for another prominent stone to insure some sort of balance as he leaped for the next edge engraved into the ledge; however, this did not give the faun any reassurance, "Anyways aren't you a mountain sheep? Heights should be second nature to you."
Brett screwed his eyes shut whilst a whimper threatened to escape his throat, "Shut up. I lived on flat ground my whole life, and I'm not a fully mountain sheep, I'm also part goat!" It sounded more like a whine than it did a statement. He couldn't help it, being with a predator high up seemed like a recipe for disaster. He was starting to regret his rash decision of running off from what was familiar to him. Perhaps complacency wasn't all that bad, it seemed safer than this.
The pulma rolled his eyes with a small scoff, he decided to say no more on the matter. He only had one more pull before they were free from the cliffside. Clawed fingers grasped the ledge, curling around the rigid rock, finally getting them to the top, "Is this better?"
Brett was so relieved when they were once again on solid ground. They were still very close to the edge yet the faun didn't care. It was better to be close than to be hanging off such a thing.
"Immensely."
Brett felt like he could just roll off then flop on the ground and still be happy.
"Don't get too comfortable, there's still a long way to go to get to the hidden village."
A/N:
This is the slow and not so calm opening. I hope you enjoyed it and are hooked to get started. BTW, the first chapter was wholly written by Geert, so i didn't o anything hee, except adding a few touches here and there :) Next week, we will meet the village and someone very, very special.