Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Allie sat on her haunches and watched the opening of the warren, She was behind a few bushes, and they did a good job at concealing her from any prey animals that might be moving about. In her right hand she held her knife, in her left a makeshift spear crafted roughly out of a sturdy stick, some fabric, and a sharp rock. She had sacrificed part of the mystery dead man’s fancy jacket to make the string she needed to tie the rock to the stick and she was constantly having to tighten and readjust it. Movement in the burrow, and she catches her breath silently, intense grey eyes fixed on the hole. There was nothing, nothing, and then a quick flash of light brown fur. A rabbit, most likely. Or a hare? Either would do, she reminded herself, tightening her grip on the spear. She couldn’t spend another night with nothing in her belly. She had to learn to hunt.
It was now or never, and as she saw the rabbit exiting its hole, nose twitching a little but ears relaxed, she knew she’d never get another chance. She exploded from her crouch and lunged inelegantly forwards with the spear, jabbing it toward the rabbit, which naturally spooked and took off in a small spray of dirt and leaves, flashing its white tail and back legs as it disappeared away from the danger, not a scratch on it.

Allie groaned and picked herself up from the ground, and made a face as she pulled a leaf from her hair, brushing the dirt from her arms and knees.
“Well that went about as well as I thought it would,” she grumbled outloud as she stood with a dejected sigh.

Any thought of having roasted rabbit meat for dinner had been cruelly dashed in an instant.
She stopped and turned her head from side to side, listening. The low white noise hiss of the wind moving through the changing leaves and the occasional bird singing out into the endless march of trees was the only sound that reached her from where she stood. After she spent a moment scrutinizing the quiet forest, she turned and followed the trail of x’es she’d cut into the tree trunks with her knife to mark her exploration path, and eventually the bright yellow splash of the tent was visible through the trees. She stepped into her camp and set her spear on the ground by the wood pile before sitting on a fallen log.
Allie let out another sigh and surveyed her space. It had been almost a week since she had woken up next to a corpse with a head emptier then a wicker water basket. Only the single word ‘Allie’, written on a scrap of paper in the dead man’s jacket reminded her that she had once been a person. She crossed her arms and huffed out a breath as she tapped her fingers against her forearm, thinking. It was going to get dark soon. She needed to make a fire.

Just as she’d resigned herself to going hungry again, there was a skittering above her, and something small dropped onto her head and startled her.
It bounced off and came to a stop at her feet and she kicked it to make sure it was safe before bending and picking it up.
She lifted it to her face and examined it closely. An acorn. She knew that much. When she looked up, she could see the busy, twitching tail of a squirrel, gathering nuts and kicking down bark at her.
“What’s your deal?”
She frowned and rubbed the spot where the nut had bounced off before she turned the acorn over in her hands.

As it dawned on her that the squirrel had the right idea, a smile started to spread across her face and she quickly pocketed the nut. She looked back up to the agitated squirrel and stood, energy revitalized. “Thank you!!”
And then off she went to go find more.

The sun drifted lazily down toward the horizon, turning the sky red and purple and stretched the shadows long but Allie ignored all that and just focused on building up the fire in front of her. She blew steadily on the kindling until she was out of breath and there was the tiniest flame flickering in the center. Next to her were a pile of nuts she had scavenged from the trees and the ground around the trees, a meagre dinner, but still food. Beside that, she’d placed a flat rock and a palm sized one that was round.

As the sun slipped below the horizon of the 6th day, she carefully roasted each nut until she could hear cracking coming from it. With the nut on the flat rock, she used the other to smash it open, and then she ate.

The acorns were terribly bitter, but she ate enough to satisfy her stomach at the very least. Then, when she was finished, she doused the fire and retreated to the tent.
The dark closed around her and she gripped the knife close, at the sound of branches crackling and things moving out there. She had a lantern, it had been in the tent when she found it, but its battery was limited, and she did not want to risk it running out. So she got into the sleeping bag and laid down, attempting to sleep through the pounding of her own heart in her ears.

And when sleep finally came, it brought nightmares.

Chapter Text

Allie woke with a twisting hunger in her belly.
She groaned and curled onto her side in the sleeping bag, not ready to wake up yet. Her back ached, and she was a little cold, but at least, with the tent she’d found, it was a shelter she’d otherwise not have.
Slowly, she sat up, rubbed the crusty sleep from her eyes, and tried again to reach for recollections that just weren’t there. She remembered the week and a half she’d spent out in the woods, and but when she reached beyond that, stretched her figurative fingers into her own head, she came up empty. It was like trying to grab smoke.

Giving up with a sigh, she unzipped the tent and exhaled in the crisp air as she peeked out from the warmer inside.
It was, she found herself realizing as she stood and beheld the morning in all its glory, rather beautiful.
And then her stomach growled and sent a pang of pain through her belly.
She grimaced and slipped back into the tent to fetch her knife. It was her knife now, wasn’t it? She still wondered as to the fate of the camper who’d been there before her, but it was just another mystery she found herself pondering when the fire got low at the end of the day. There were a lot of those, lately.
With another internal growl urging her forward, she set out into the trees to forage.
Whoever she’d been before—she decided, as she grabbed a handful of blackish berries off a bush and pricked her fingers with hidden thorns— She had not been used to this. She had not been good at fending for herself.
Cursing, she sucked on her thumb, tasting the bittersweet juice on her tongue as she did so.
Hopefully, the berries were edible, and not toxic to people, but she didn’t have high hopes. It was all trial and error out here, and she didn’t have the knowledge to make informed decisions about the things she put in her mouth.
Carefully, Allie used her shirt as a makeshift basket to gather as many berries as she could and carried her breakfast back towards camp.

On the way, she spotted movement in the brush, and stopped to watch a rabbit emerge from its burrow to nibble on the dewey clover. Her eyes narrowed, the memory of her defeat in pursuit of those fluffy tailed devils raw in her mind. She marked the location of the clover patch in her head and then turned her back on the rabbit, consoling herself with the fact that for a few hours, she’d be okay. Maybe more, who knew how long the berries would keep?
When she saw the bright yellow fabric of the tent peeking through the trees, her heart lightened. Maybe she was better at this survival stuff then she thought.

The berries are tart and almost spicy, which meant they were probably not for eating, but Allie filled up on them anyway. It wasn’t like she had a choice.
She was miles into unknown forest, with nothing but a few tools at her disposal to help her survive.

After breakfast, she went to the creek to get a drink, and wash the berry juice off her hands, and the water was cold but refreshing. On the other side of it, she noticed a small den with more clover plants growing at the entrance, and an idea formed in her head.
Sticks, she needed sticks. And a hole? And bait.
Maybe there was a way to get more filling food after all?

All it took was half the day and a lot of sweat and tears and almost passing out in the hot sun, but at last, Allie had a plan.

First, she harvested as much clover as she could get her hands on. Probably more then was necessary, but she needed to be sure the trap would work.
Then she dug a hole and found a rock heavy enough to act as a lid for that hole.
When she was setting it up by the rabbit warren, the rock fell out of place and bruised her fingers several times, but eventually it was all set up.
It was quite a crude trap, just a hole and sticks holding up a rock, and clover as the bait, but she was oddly confident about it. All it could do was fail, right?

And fail it did. Over, and over and over. Day after day after day she’d check it and find it empty. Sometimes the rock fell out of place. Other times, it didn’t trip and the rabbits got a free meal.
Allie began to hate that trap. With a burning passion.
But she never gave up, and one evening, as she was roasting acorns for what felt like the 50’th time, she heard an animal in distress.
Rushing to the trap, revealed that finally, finally it had caught something. Allie could have cried with joy, but she didn’t celebrate just yet. She had to get the animal out of the trap, and then turn it into food.
She had to kill it.

She sat on her haunches in front of the trap for a while, contemplating just how she was going to take the rabbit’s life.
“Its necessary,” she told herself, trying to work up the courage to retrieve the spoils. “If I don’t kill this rabbit, I might die. It dies, so I dont. Its not that...h-hard to understand.”
It might of been the stress she was under, but at that moment, Allie felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She was being watched, she just knew... but by what?
A quick look around told her there was no other creature nearby but her and the screaming rabbit in the hole.
She wished it would stop screaming, it was a terrible sound, but she was coming to realize quite quickly that if she wanted it to shut up, she was going to have to make it stop.
Gripping the knife in one hand tighter, she approached the trap, heart in her throat.
“I-Its okay,” she said to the rock and its captive. “Its going to be okay. I’m... I-I’m not...”
She couldn’t say it. It was just a rabbit, but she was going to hurt it and she couldn’t lie. It didn’t sit right with her.
“I-I’m sorry.... I’m so sorry...”
Carefully, she moved the rock slightly and stuck her hand into the hole, fingers touching soft fur. The rabbit reacted, trying to get away when there was no where to go.
A sob broke from her throat and when her hands closed around a flailing, kicking leg, she held on, and dragged the animal from the trap.
It never stopped fighting, not even when she drove the knife into its body. It never stopped screaming, either, not until she twisted the blade and ended its pain.

Alone in the forest, as the sky turned red with sunset, Allie looked at the blood on her hands and began to cry.

Chapter Text

Allie looked down at the broken spear in her hands. Her heart sank to her toes as she surveyed the damage to the tip, where the wood had snapped just below the sharp rock. This... this wasn’t fixable. She’d have to start all over again.
Tears of frustration pricked her eyes, stinging painfully and she let out a shout and tossed the broken tool to the forest floor.
It was hot enough that her shirt stuck to the back of her skin, so she abandoned the spear and took a walk down to the river she could hear from her camp.
It didn’t take her long to find it, splashing and deep green in the centre and a cool reprieve from the sun’s bright eye.
She didn’t think twice before stripping down to nothing and stepping into the water, wading over the small rocks underfoot until she was submerged up to her chest.
The current wasn’t so fast that it swept her away, and the water was surprisingly clear.
She dunked her head under the surface and washed the sweat from her long blonde hair and face, and when she emerged it was with a spray of water droplets that glittered in the sun. She wiped the rivulets from her eyes, already feeling much more refreshed.
A crow landed in a tree on shore and watched her splash around as she enjoyed her bath, and it cocked its black feathered head, observing her.
Then, in an explosion of noise that shattered the peaceful silence and a flurry of feathers, it cawed loudly and took flight, diving down towards the water and her before soaring up and out of sight through the trees on the other side.
Allie sat up, heartbeat thudding in her chest.
In the wake of the crow’s disturbance she felt uneasy, but quickly realized it was less because of the noise, but more the absence of it.
The forest had gone eerily quiet, and even the river’s burbling had become strangely muted.

With a suddenness and a strength that made her gasp, the sensation of being watched returned with a vengeance, and she sank into the water further, up to her neck as if whatever was out there couldn’t get her if she was deeper in the river.
A rush of fear, that there was nowhere to go, she was so exposed, and it was coming Right At Her washed over her and left her cold despite the warmth of the day.
She was terrified, and still, whatever was out there, whatever presence she’d felt since waking up in the woods next to a dead man didn’t show itself, didn’t come charging out of the trees like a ravenous beast, ready to devour her. And then, little by little, the paralyzing fear started to diminish, and no matter how hard she stared into the forest, she never saw a thing. But she felt it, in her chest and her head and her bones, felt it move slowly away from where she was.
Her lungs burned long before she allowed herself to take a breath, and with that, the spell broke, and she was left weak kneed and shaking.
Slowly, each motion a cautious gamble, she returned to shore, and dressed quickly, trying to calm the adrenaline still coursing through her body.

There was no mistake, not this time. Something was out there, and she was dealing with something more then a cougar or bear or a wolf pack. No, whatever it was, it was bigger then that. More then that.

Allie hurried back to her camp, thoughts full of werewolves and vampires and indigenous legends, monsters that shouldn’t exist.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she stepped right on the corpse.
A shriek left her throat as her foot sank down into the bloated flesh of a human body, skin so blackened and mottled and clothes so dirty it blended in with the forest floor.
She leapt back with another yell, stomach twisting violently and threatening to purge itself of her last meal. What? How?
Once she’d stopped freaking out, she took another look at the body. She recognized it, despite its turgid and distended state.
It was the man she’d woken up next to when she’d arrived. She hadn’t known his name, or who he was, but he was there. But that was... a good few hours from her camp, how had he gotten here?
She backed away from him, noticing how flies swarmed his skin and in places it had split open like an overripe fruit and turned away before she vomited for real.

“Okay. Okay, this... there has to be an explanation for this. There just has to be.”
She eyed the trees warily. An animal, she decided on the spot. It had to have been some predator or scavenger that dragged the corpse from where it had been all the way to the outskirts of her camp. Maybe it would have taken it further, if it didn’t hear her coming.
Yes, that was a perfectly rational explanation.
And Allie didn’t believe a single word of it.

She carefully skirted the corpse, one hand over her nose and mouth, and carried on towards her camp. She was half expecting it to be completely ransacked, but everything was as she’d left it.
It didn’t feel nearly as safe as it had an hour ago.
She came across her broken spear, where she’d tossed it down, and picked it back up. The string she’d used to secure it had originally come from that corpse’s jacket, and after seeing what it had become after several weeks in the elements, she was not looking forwards to harvesting more.
But what if the corpse was picked up by the same animal and taken away? She’d be out of luck, spear broken for who knew how long. She had to take opportunities as they came, no matter how distasteful.

So after she’d calmed down, she retrieved her knife from the tent and headed back to where the corpse had been, half praying that it was gone.
It was not. It lay as dead and putrid as it always had, buzzing with a corona of flies of all description.
She covered her mouth and nose with her shirt and tried not to breathe in as she knelt beside the body, using her knife to poke at the jacket that was stuck to it.
To her horror, it squirmed with slight movement beneath.
“Oh god, please no. I don’t want to do this.”

Allie shuddered and then, there was no help for it, she used her other hand to lift the jacket away.
As expected, the underside was squirming with maggots. Small ones the size of rice, and fat ones that she could see the circulatory systems of, pulsing wet things that made her want to scream.
The corpse’s shirt underneath had been eaten through with tiny, dark holes burrowing through it and the meat beneath, squirming with life.
With a low moan of horror in the back of her throat, she sawed at the fabric, holding it up by the corner and watching the fly larvae fall off and wriggle aimlessly among their peers.

Eventually, she managed to cut an irregular shape of the fabric jacket free, and then flung it away from her with another shriek of disgust.
The corpse, remained as it did, dead and silent and very, very buggy.

Allie cursed, then scrubbed her hands on her pants, then finally, she took a few moments to just reflect on how utterly disgusting that was as she got to her feet.
“I am never,” she declared to the empty trees around her. “Ever doing that again.”
Once she was ready, she went over to where the fabric had fallen and stabbed it with the knife. It was unsettlingly damp to the touch and she didn’t want to mess with it until it was dry.
She returned to camp, not giving the corpse another glance, and set about making a fire to cook something to eat.

When she took her little cup and headed back towards the river to get some water, the corpse was nowhere in sight.

Chapter Text

The days were blurring together, the nights getting a little colder with each rotation of the earth.
Allie tossed and turned in her tent, curled up in the sleeping bag, straddling the edge of deep dreams and sudden wakefulness.
She’d made herself a rabbit skin pillow earlier that week and stuffed it with dried grass, so at least she was more comfortable then she had been before. As she slipped into the true restfulness of sleep, the mood beyond her sanctuary changed.

Outside the tent, the trees swayed with the breeze, the silver moonlight settled over the forest like frost on the leaves.
Outside, the night creatures suddenly went silent as something big moved between them. They scurried back to their holes or darted away on swift limbs, the creature long and strange even to them.
Outside, it walked through Allie’s camp, throwing a long shadow over the yellow tent before slowly moving away.
And inside, Allie’s uncertain dreams shifted to nightmares.

She was lost in a sea of trees, much like the forest she lived in during the day, but she instinctively knew that the landscape was...wrong.
The sky was a deep red and shifted with purples in chaotic fashion like storm clouds rolling over the sky, the ground was black and she seemed to sink into it like tar if she stayed in place for too long, and the trees were leafless and bone white, branches looking as sharp as knives.

Her dream self was hunting a rabbit, she had her knife and her spear and she was creeping closer, but she had no agency over her movements.
She couldn’t control this dream, merely watch from behind herself as if there were two people in the scene. The rabbit was as white as the trees that towered around them, and seemed to be the only other living thing around.
She watched herself, felt her single minded focus, but was able to think beyond it. Something told her she shouldn’t touch the rabbit and should move on, she could feel it again, the watchedness that followed her waking footsteps, that came and went and brought great fear.
Danger, she tried to convey to her dream self. There is danger here.
But she was merely an observer and couldn’t communicate her unease.

Her body crouched, then lunged as the rabbit screamed. It died swiftly and began to bleed, a vivid red that spread around its prone form and soaked its brilliant white fur.
Allie instinctively knew that if she touched it, bad things would happen, but that was exactly what her dream self did. She reached down and dipped her fingertips into the blood.
There was a blinding flash and then everything changed.
There were figures hanging off the trees now, humanoid in shape thought their faces were unrecognizable, stabbed through on branches through their chests, eyes, mouths, bleeding black down the trunks and still alive.
Allie felt the paranoia return and knew she had to run, and her dream self got to her feet and took off running, but the tar like ground reached up to pull at her shoes and slow her.
As she passed the first of the figures impaled on the white branches, it moved, lifted a hand that was missing a few fingers towards her, and then started to moan.
The sound was taken up by the ones deeper in the forest and deeper still, every tree had at least one person hanging from it like oddly shaped fruit and all of them were making noise now. The sound rose in pitch and intensity until it was a scream,a thousand screaming corpses all around her, in every direction.
Somehow Allie knew they weren’t screaming for nothing, it was a warning, a clarion call to the thing that put them there, alerting it to her presence. She ran faster, as a familiar feeling crept over her. Fear.
It was coming.
She looked back through the trees as the sky grew dark, tendrils of black coiling and surging after her between the trunks, and she knew, with that particular confidence that only dreamers have, if she didn’t run right now she would never wake up.
Her dream self turned to run, the screams and wails echoing in her ears louder and louder and she herself screamed when she came face to face with the thing hunting her.
She didn’t see much, it was tall, had no face, and then the tendrils swarmed it and her, and the dream ended with a violent lurch.

It was still dark when she sat bolt upright with a muffled shout, one hand covering her mouth to stop the sound escaping. Her body was shaking, her breathing irregular, and despite the chill of the early morning, she was covered with sweat.
Allie let out a hard breath and then disentangled herself from the sleeping bag and crept outside.
The sky was brighter on the horizon, but above her, stars still twinkled. Dawn wasn’t far off.
She just stood there, taking deep, slow breaths of cold air, letting her surroundings ground her.
It was just a nightmare, and with each moment more she spent in reality, the finer, horrifying details of that nightmare started to fade.
“There’s no such thing as monsters,” she breathed, looking around at the trees that ringed her camp. There were no bodies hanging from them, and already the first stirrings of life were apparent, birds waking up the world with their song. She was okay.

More relaxed, she went around her camp and gathered sticks and tinder to make her usual morning fire.
And when the warmth and light blossomed forth in its pit, she felt her spirits lift, and the last bit of uneasiness from the bad dream vanish from her conscious mind.

Chapter Text

Dreams were strange things.
The nightmare came back in Allie’s waking hours, crept in and settled just outside of her conscious thoughts and hung over her like a dark cloud for several days.
She didn’t want to think about it, or what it could mean. She just wanted to dismiss it as her brain playing a mean trick on her, but somehow... deep down, she knew it wasn’t capable of that kind of....horror. Of that kind of... cruelty.

She looked down at the knife in her hand, at the pile of branches she was whittling into sharpened stakes for the newest trap she was building.
She sighed, leaning back on her heels to get some more feeling into her feet, and then cut another shallow groove into the wood.
“Of all the things that could have rattled me, it had to be a dumb dream.” She mumbled, running her finger over the non-sharpened side of the hunting knife.
She didn’t have a clue how to sharpen it, and if it dulled, she’d be screwed.
The knife was her one consistent tool, for hunting, fishing and trapping, and of course defence. Without it, she wouldn’t have survived as long as she did.

Allie picked up another stick and found her gaze fixed on the ground a little ways beyond it. She could, in her head, remember how the rabbit in her dream had been.
Helpless, maybe? No. Docile. It hadn’t run away when her dream self killed it.
What did that mean? Was she destined to just lay down and die for whatever monsters were out there?
There she went again, thinking about monsters.
Monsters did not exist, not in the daylight world she was occupying.
Her bouts of fear and paranoia were justified, not because something was amiss, but because she was all alone in the woods. Of course something was out there, it was the freaking woods! If there were not multiple somethings that lived alongside her without her knowledge, she’d be surprised.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and returned her gaze to the stake in her hand.
“Stupid.” She muttered, then cut into it just deep enough to suit her needs.
It was almost noon, to her best estimation, so she’d just finish up these last few sticks for her trap and then—

“SOMEBODY HELP ME!!”

The knife almost fell from her hand the moment she heard the voice in the distance, an all too human voice. A male voice, crying out for aid. Her aid.
For a moment, she sat there, thoughts empty. Had that just been another mind trick? The cry had echoed, carried through the trees and then left silence in its wake. Had it been real, or was she losing her mind?

“SOMEBODY PLEASE, ANYBODY!!”
Her body jumped up almost without her conscious control when it came again, more urgently.
Whoever they were, they sounded incredibly distressed, and so Allie dropped the stake and, clutching her blade closer, she hurried from the safety of her camp and into the trees.
“PLEASE!! PLEASE, I NEED HELP!!”
She followed the sound, a growing pit of nerves in her stomach. Something was wrong. The forest got quieter the deeper she went.
And when the forest got quiet, strange things were bound to happen.
The next noise the person makes is simply a scream, full of abject terror, and it launches her into a run, heart pounding as she closed in on the source. Her mind whirled. Was it a bear? A wolf? A cougar? Another person was in danger and she was the only human being around to help and by god she was going to help.
“I’M COMING!” She yelled out, vaulting over a log that was in her way and stumbling, cutting her leg on a branch. She didn’t even slow down.
“HOLD ON!!”
Her heart lurched when she got no response and she quickened her pace. Running so fast, her lungs burned and her ears rang, but she refused to stop.
Whoever was out there was injured or worse. She couldn’t stop. She just couldn’t.

“Where are you?!” She coughed, using the last of her air to call out again, but this time, she got a response. It wasn’t words, but a wet sound, an almost...gurgling moan. It made her insides turn cold. Had she been too late?
Fear stole over her and she slowed her approach, readied herself to come face to face with an animal feasting on a person— but when she stepped into the little grove, there was nothing. No signs of struggle, no animals, and certainly no human in distress.
She peered through the trees. “H-Hello? I heard your cry for help.... are you here..?”
Another gurgle, followed by the distinctive creaking of branches, and Allie lifted her eyes from the forest floor to the canopy of trees, and she already knew what she would find as her eyes found him.
The man who’d torn the silence of the forest, the one she’d run so far to assist was high up a tree, too high for her to reach without climbing.
At first, she didn’t want to acknowledge the truth, told herself he was just sitting in the crook of two branches, but reality refused to pander to her desperate wishes.
She couldn’t deny the fact that the man she’d come to find was impaled on the tree.
Her voice trembled.
“O-Oh God... N-No, please...”

One branch pierced right through his chest, probably shredding one of his lungs to pieces inside of him, and the other came out of his right side, the spiked wood devoid of leaves or twigs, carefully pruned to be effective killing weapons, stained dark with gore.
She covered her mouth with both hands and retched, tears stinging her eyes. No, no, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen! She was supposed to get there in time, she was supposed to save him!
She had to look away, body trembling as the wind blew the scent of his blood towards her.
There was only one word for a creature that could do something like this.
Evil.
The man’s body arched, his mouth struggling to make more noise, eyes bulging and glassy and fixed on her own. He was alive. He was suffering. Whatever put him there, wanted him to suffer.
In the face of that realization, Allie wanted to curl up and cry. Instead, she let out a tight whimper, and turned away, trying to compose herself.
Her vision blurred with tears and she tried desperately to rein in her horror and fear. The man was suffering. He was a goner, but she had to do something, she had to stop his pain. It was the only thing she could think of.
If only her head would stop pounding and that awful ringing noise would go away...
She wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming, her hands shaking. She gave up, instead gripping her knife tightly. She’d climb up there, and she would cut his throat. Or stab him in the eye. Something, anything, to kill him quick.
She wasn’t strong enough to pull his body out of the tree he was lodged in, but she could at least give him a quicker end.
Her mind made up, Allie turned back towards him, and then frowned. Something was wrong with her vision and it wasn’t tears, the man’s outline was dark, like an aura around his limbs and head.
She took a step forward, uncertain, then let out a yelp as a tendril of blackness detached itself from behind the tree and curled around the man’s throat.
The persistant ringing in her ears grew until she couldn’t hear anything else, fear choking at her throat.
There was something there.
Something that shouldn’t exist.
A Monster.
Allie opened her mouth, to scream, to scare whatever it was off, to call upon any of the gods she knew, but a wave of dizziness and nausea hit her like a train and doubled her over.
She vomited, choked, started coughing, and then she couldn’t stop, cold sweat coming to her skin as the motion wracked her chest.
The ringing turned to pain, a pulsing, piercing jab into her mind that made dark spots appear in her field of view. It didn’t feel random, it felt calculated, and beyond the pain, she sensed a vast, unknowable presence.

It was like nothing she’d ever felt, and the sensations combined to drive her to her knees.
She sensed, rather then saw or heard it move. The ringing abated enough for her to hear the wet snapping sound of the man dying, and when she looked up, her vision distorted, colors all wrong, eyes burning. Whatever it was, it was massive, at least eight, no, ten feet. She couldn’t see it clearly, it was impossible for her brain to process its existence, only react, and it reacted by shutting everything down.
She fell onto her side, still struggling for breath, the last thing she saw was a multitude of black tentacles swarm the corpse in the tree, and the last thing she heard were branches creaking, groaning, snapping. It took him. The thing that had put the man there, took him down, and then she knew it had turned its attention back on her.
She tried to get up, she had to get away, but all her body gave her was the hard nothing of unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The fat, cool droplets of rain splashed onto her cheeks and ran down her face, pulling Allie from the heavy darkness.
Thunder growled overhead as she pushed herself onto her elbows slowly, the motion aggravating her headache. She felt weak, and the pattering rain on her back chilled her through her clothes.
The sky was dark, angry and grey, and when she turned her head, she saw the trees all around her were swaying with the energy of the impending storm.
If she didn’t seek shelter soon, she’d be soaked.

Allie let out a groan as she struggled to her feet, the motion roiling her stomach, but it was empty, nothing in it to throw up.
Her thoughts were fuzzy, but once standing, she recognized the area she was in. She knew that stump, especially. It had a carved X on it that she put there herself to act as a marker. It was not far from her camp.
She stumbled forwards, arms hugging herself as the rain pelted down harder, the ground getting muddy and forming puddles that soaked into her shoes.
She hurried eagerly into the yellow tent when she found it still standing in her camp, and once inside, she pulled off her cold, wet shirt and pants and wrung them out through a small opening in the tent flap. Once they were an acceptable amount of damp, she put them back on and wrapped the sleeping bag around her like a blanket to wait out the storm.

She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, as the day’s events conspired to exhaust her from the moment she’d woken up, but fall asleep she did.
And she dreamed.
Once again she was in the red and white and grey dream forest, but she was in control of her body this time. And she wasn’t alone.
Across a great black rift in the ground stood...the monster.
It had a white face, and seemed to have the vague shape of a man, but so much taller, like she’d seen in the waking world.
Blackness swirled around it and over most of its body and across the divide she knew it was looking at her, even though it had no eyes with which to see.
It had no face at all and was riddled with the impermanence of dream-sight, vibrating and fading in places.
She found herself walking up to the edge of the chasm, her toes inching over the black, and in this space of unreality, she looked without fear. It didn’t move one iota, too still like the trees it emulated in a way.
She found herself emboldened, and opened her mouth to speak to it—when something changed.
The trees started groaning.
Not in the way they had when they were laden with the dead the last time she’d been here, but in a visceral, tortured way that chilled her bones.
The monster slowly tipped its head to the side, and she turned, faced with a growing darkness sweeping down from the forest, a rushing, growling sound of earth as it rushed forwards towards her—
She screamed and jerked upright in the darkness of her tent, the sound of screaming wood and rumbling still present. The inside of the tent was wet, the sleeping bag soaked through.
Oh fuck.

She snatched her knife and scrambled out of the tent, noticing how the rain had soaked the earth right away. It was up to her ankles, then her knees, shockingly cold and growing higher.
What was happening? It was dark, she could barely see through the rain, but a flash of lightning lit the scene in stark relief for a second.
Further up the slope, a flood of water was coming down towards her little camp and there was no way out of its path.
Allie couldn’t hear her own screams over the approaching roar and she dived at a tree that was within reach as the flash flood hit with the force of a train, tearing her tent and firepit from the ground and carrying everything away.
Despite scratching up her arms, Allie clung to the tree trunk for dear life as the water rose to her waist, then her chest. She could feel its powerful tug on her, and more importantly her anchor.
“Oh fuck, Oh fuck, Oh fuck, no, please, please, not like this!!”
The tree she held onto groaned, leaned dangerously into the current, and then gave way, and Allie went with it, helpless to fight against the uncaring water.
Her tree rolled over and over, scraping her arms and chin and she went under several times, mouth filling with muddy rainwater.
She saw the struggling, braying form of a deer come at her and tried to avoid its sharp antlers, but they dug into her thigh on the way past, stabbing her leg and bruising her side. The pain was immense but she had bigger things to worry about.
The flood continued rushing and roaring, and dunking her beneath its surface over and over.
Everything was too fast, too loud, and she only saw what the split second flashes of lightning allowed her to. She was tossed around like nothing, bashing against trees and rocks and being pinned and battered by the waves and the debris.
The flood spilled into the river, overflowing it and picking up speed and Allie shrieked as another tree fell into the water, barely missing her body by inches, splashing down and causing her to go under again.
Her heart was pounding so fast and hard she feared it would simply stop, and she clung tight to the tree, coughing up water, struggling to stay on the surface, struggling to breathe, struggling to not be crushed, struggling to stay alive.
The flood broke the riverbank and carried on, diverting the current as it headed downhill to lower ground.
Allie was barely keeping her head up, fingers numb with cold and mud in her eyes.
She couldn’t take much longer of this, she wasn’t strong enough to defy nature like this, she wasn’t going to make it out alive, not like this.

But then the fury of the flood started to slow, and Allie cried out as she was once again pinned between logs of wood. It was hard to breathe, her chest was being compressed.
She’d survived the flood but as the water went away, the mud rose around her, coating her. Something knocked the tree behind her out of the way, her scream was cut off as she felt a rib break from the force.
Her body gave up, and she lay there, still draped over the tree, insensate as the detrius washed up and piled around and over her.

Hours passed, and Allie was lost to dark and turbulent dreams.
Had she been awake, she’d have been in pain—and would have seen the broken, uprooted trees imprisoning her in the darkness being shifted, one by one. She’d have glimpsed a pale clawed hand, fingers impossibly long dig into the bark and heave, spilling sunlight into where she lay. The monster she’d only glimpsed in dreams and once before, reaching down for her, pulling her from the still wet mud and laying her out on the ground out of the path of destruction that would have been her grave.

She’d have seen it. She’d have been afraid.
She’d have watched it vanish into thin air without a sound.

But she didn’t wake up, and so she missed it all, trapped in the darkness of her psyche as her body tried to reconcile that it was still alive, still breathing.

Chapter Text

The sun was so warm.
Allie kept her eyes shut as she just soaked in the heat and the light kissing her eyelids. She didn’t care where she was or what was happening, all that mattered was the sun. She could also hear birds, and the soft rush of wind through the trees, and of water, trickling somewhere. And it all transported her elsewhere. Into a memory. She was swaying, back and forth, in something soft in the sun.

“You’re going to be late for the party, Allie,” a melodic female voice said, a tone of reproach in it. “Get out of the hammock and get ready to go. I’ll be driving you both, so wear something nice. Jackson is.”

“Mmm,” Allie said in her memory.
“Mmm..” Allie said in reality.
Her mother, it was her mother speaking to her, sighed and sat down on the edge of the hammock, indenting it with her weight. “Look, I know going to this party wasn’t what you planned for today, but its really important to your stepfather. So I’m offering an incentive.”
She sounded kind. She sounded tired. “I’ll buy you a ticket to that movie you wanted to see if you go and not cause a fuss while you’re there. How’s that sound?”
Allie crossed her ankles over each other, feeling the fabric of the hammock shift. She remembered that. She didn’t remember what her mother looked like.
What did she look like?
Memory Allie’s eyes opened, but her mother had no face. And the edges of the memory slowly faded into a white and grey fog. The more she reached, the faster it all disappeared, slipping through her fingers like water. Like smoke.

Allie opened her eyes.
The sky was an impossible shade of blue she could not describe. The sun was bright and warm and not a single cloud obscured it.
She was laying on soft green grass, and everything seemed...right with the world.
Then it all came rushing back. The man. The monster. The flood.
She gasped and then cried out as her ribs lanced with pain.
“Ah!!”
It hurt, her chest was tight and the deeper she breathed, the worse it got.
“Oh fuck,” she groaned out, wrapped one mud caked arm around her chest, and struggled to sit up.
The plates of dirt that coated her skin cracked and fell away. She was itchy all over. It took some doing, but she managed to get to her hands and knees, where the pain lessened. Next, standing, though the motion brought tears to her eyes.
Her leg was injured too, she could see the dried blood crusting the wound.
Putting weight on it caused pain, and there was nothing she could grab onto.
The path the flood took was vastly different then the surrounding forest. It had ripped most of the trees from the ground, overturned the earth. The forest floor was thick with mud, and in places, water still stood, dark brown and uninviting.
Allie turned her gaze to follow the path, and was awestruck at the level of destruction.
If she wanted to, she could follow the trail back to her camp, but she knew there was nothing for her there anymore.

A flash of something shiny caught her eye in the debris and she picked her way gingerly through fallen trees, their roots sticking up to the sky like desperate fingers appealing to the gods.
The shiny thing turned out to be her knife, which she picked up and held close to her with an exclamation of joy.
She wasn’t defenceless at least.
Injured, and dehydrated, but not defenceless.

She had to make a decision. She had to keep surviving. Above the trees, she could see mountains, how far had the flood taken her from where she had been?
To the west was the river, fresh water and a bath but to get there, she’d have to travel uphill through the path of destruction, and there was no telling how long that would take.
To the east, south and north was unknown territory.
She sucked her lower lip, then spat out the taste of mud.

“This ....really, really sucks.”

She took several moments to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t go back to the river and she didn’t want to try and end up exhausting herself.
Eyes closed, she breathed as deep as she dared. She’d seen her mother when she woke up. Before that point, she hadn’t even known she’d had a mother.
Maybe her memories were returning, and that was a good thing, but none of them would be helpful to her now.
Sitting on a upturned log, she felt the breeze flow past her and play with some of her hair.
She opened her eyes, looking towards where the wind was going.
“Any direction is good at this point,” she said to herself, carefully standing, before reaching out to steady herself. Her injured leg trembled a little, but she was able to lean on it without it giving out.
Allie exhaled, gingerly heading towards the trees.
If she was an optimistic person, she’d say she’d make it out of the woods easy if she held her course. Allie was neither optimistic or lucky, but she kept going, because she had to.
She was slower then she’d normally be, so when she fell down the slope, she didn’t know how long she’d been walking.
The rocks underfoot just slid out from underneath her and she let out a pained yell as she went tumbling.
Allie covered her head as best she could as she rolled over and over again, bouncing painfully off a flat rock that added yet another yelp to the cacophany she was making.
She finally slowed and came to a rest among dry yellow grasses.
Allie let out a breathless sob, and hid her face as she cried.
What strength she’d had was gone, sapped by the hike through the forest and the thirst that had plagued her all day and now the tumble she’d just taken.
Maybe it would be better to just give up.
The sun was still high in the sky, but she laid there there for roughly ten minutes, shoulders shaking with the unfairness of it all.
She was going to die here. She was never going to see her mother again.
She was a goner.

Overhead, a bird landed in the tree and made a series of chirps that caught her attention.
For the first time, she lifted her head and looked up at the tree, at the bird. It was an unremarkable bird, brown with blue and white feathers, but it was when it flew off and she followed the path it took through the trees, that she stopped crying.
The trees opened up ahead. Maybe 100 feet away, she could see forested mountains and blue skies.
Allie heaved herself up, bit by bit.
If she was going to die, she might as well die in a place with a nice view.
She was a lot more unsteady on her feet, but there were plenty of trees to keep her upright.
She walked towards the opening, deciding grimly that if it was a large cliff, she’d just.... fall off it and end it all. Make it quick, make it clean. No need to suffer anymore.
But what she saw was a vast expanse of blue green water and a very manageable pebble path down to its shore.
She’d found a lake. Or rather, the lake had found her.

Allie just stared at the glistening green waves, stunned.

Move, she told herself, and her feet stumbled into motion, carrying her down to the water’s edge.
She slipped her mud caked shoes in first, and the rest of her followed, fully clothed, into the lake. She didn’t care about having wet clothes, or wet shoes.
It was glorious.
She drank her fill and then started washing the silt and dirt from her skin and clothes and hair.
It came off her body easily, to her delight.
She submerged herself completely and opened her eyes, the water beyond where she’d kicked up silt was deep blue and beautifully clear. She could see fish darting in schools deeper in.
She couldn’t hold her breath for long though, and surfaced with reluctance, the cool breeze refreshing on her wet face.
Then, she heard it.
The forest went silent, except for a faint ringing in her ears that slowly grew louder.

Allie gasped in fear and searched the riverbank she’d come from but couldn’t see anything. Where was it coming from? She swam a little deeper into the lake, heart thudding in her chest. Then, something moved out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head sharply towards it.

Further down the bank, much further, an island extended out into the water, connected by a thin bridge of grass and rocks. The trees swayed placidly in the breeze, but it was the motion on her side of the bank that had her afraid. First, there was nothing, just shadowed trees moving in the wind, and then...
The monster. It was there, coming slowly out of the forest on the main shore, maybe ten metres away and as she watched, her vision warped. It was messing with her head without it even being near her, that’s how powerful its influence was.
Allie winced at the sudden headache the ringing had brought on, but squinted her eyes and tried to focus her vision on it. She needed to know what exactly she was dealing with.

The creature, the distorted, blurry thing resolved into a tall, thin humanoid, dressed in black clothing. Why was it wearing clothing? She just watched it walk towards the tip of the island, with slow, but measured movements, and had no answer.
Her nose started to bleed, she could feel the warmth of it dripping down her lips, but she didn’t look away. She was transfixed.
The monster swayed slightly, its shoulders hunching forwards as it dropped to all fours, and if she had any lingering doubts that the pale, faceless thing wasn’t human, they were silenced by that singular, fluid motion. Human joints didn’t move like that.
Allie’s eyes were burning with the need to blink but she couldnt stop observing the creature on the island.
Part frozen with fear, part incredibly fascinated, she watched the lower half of where its jaw should have been rip open, and even from where she was crouching in the water, she could see it had teeth, lots of them.
A long black tongue slid out of its dripping mouth, and it bent to drink, lapping at the water like any ordinary animal.
The scene could almost be described as fantastical, and Allie felt some of her fear fade, lost under wonder. How could something like that exist? It was incredible. Scary, but incredible.
And then something underwater brushed against her leg and she must have made a gasp, because the creature jerked its head up and swivelled it towards her, that empty, blank face staring and that black tongue slithering back into its mouth as it sealed shut. The ringing returned, sharp, burrowing deep into her skull.
Then, to her horror, the monster’s entire body flickered and then vanished into thin air.

Instantly she knew she was in danger, and she needed to go.
Allie cursed and headed for shore, dragging her sodden clothed self out of the water that was suddenly colder on her skin. She almost slipped on a mossy rock but managed to keep her footing. She was half expecting the creature to lunge out of the forest and kill her. It would be easy enough, she was wounded prey. But she made it to the trees before anything happened. A direction, she had to pick a direction to go, but the tinnitus was so distracting. Which way was safest?
In the end the choice was made for her. She felt sick, then glimpsed something big moving out of the corner of her eye and took off into an unsteady run in the opposite direction. Her injured leg stumbled and the wound reopened and bled but she didn’t stop until the pain in her head had diminished and the nausea vanished.
Her busted rib burned her chest and lungs like a constant brand, sizzling her meat beneath her flesh.
She had distanced herself from the monster, and the monster had let her.
Allie cursed, tears in her eyes as she clutched at her damp shirt with one hand, struggling to breathe.
The atmosphere in the forest was tense, silent as the grave. All the animals had vacated the area she was in, and she could ...feel It stalking her, through some sense she didn’t understand; she could feel it getting closer, taking its time.
Enjoying her struggle.

She grit her teeth and then forced herself to keep walking as fast as she dared, deeper and deeper into the woods. At some point, the light in the forest got darker, but night had to have been...hours away at least.
It was the trees, growing closer and closer together so she had to wend her way through them, avoiding the roots that reached up to trip her.
It was like a dream, no a nightmare, where no matter how fast she ran, the thing chasing her was right on her heels, and if she tried to hide, she knew the game would be over and she would die.

“Please,” she gasped, speaking to the air, to the forest, to the monster. “Please, l-leave me alone...”
She let out a yelp as she almost tripped over a rock. It was so much darker now, and when she looked up at the sky, she could see stars. That....that wasn’t right, that couldn’t be right.
It came for her then, sliding from between two trees right behind her, the pain in her head and the sick feeling twisting her insides as she tried not to look back at it. It growled, and the sound traveled through her headache, spiking more pain behind her eyes.
“No!” She cried out, her feet stumbling forwards blindly, hands outstretched in front of her to stop herself from colliding with anything as she ran.
Something curled around her right wrist, something thin, but strong and alive, and she shrieked and tried to yank it off her, fingers clawing at the smooth, dark tendril.
It only tightened painfully and then snapped taut, yanking her off her feet and face first into the ground. “Agh!!”

She flailed out, and the tentacle uncoiled from her wrist and she felt another one slither around her injured leg, just beneath the knee.
There were more, tangling in her long hair and against her face, and she screamed in terror, the only coherent thought in her mind that she didn’t want to die here, not like this.
The monster lazily picked her up by her leg with its tentacle and tossed her through the air.
Her back hit a tree and she bit through her lip and tasted blood, and then she found one of those tendrils coiling around her neck. It was warm, and pulsed with a terrible, terrible life as it started to squeeze.
She choked, her hands springing up to try and tear it from her throat, eyes wild and terrified, and then without warning, it flung her off her feet.
It was another hill, and Allie hit the ground with a breathless cry, rolling to a stop in front of a moonlit clearing.
Behind her the monster was slinking down the slope after her on all fours, its snake like tendrils waving around it, eager to get ahold of her and finish their game.

She saw it clearly in her minds eye, and some how found the strength to crawl further into the clearing, into the light.
There were things all around her, things she didn’t understand. Strange metal machines, rusted and overgrown with leaves and plants stood around the clearing, as well as a battered truck, long since gutted of its engine and wheels missing.
But it was the cabin that she saw clearest, a refuge, a sanctuary from the horror that hunted her.
Never mind that it was wooden, old and probably rotting from the inside out.
The monster was prowling the edges of the clearing, still in shadow, a static snarl low and guttural in a way she could hear in her head and nowhere else. She forced herself to her feet, staggered the last few steps, and then fell against the cabin door. It burst open beneath her weight and she tumbled inside.
Another snarl ripped through her thoughts and she kicked the door shut with a desperate shriek as it came, bounding into the light, mouth open, vicious fangs glistening in the moonlight. The door banged shut, a rusted latch on her side falling over and blocking it closed as she braced for the splintering, crashing impact.

But it never came. Allie heard only her harsh, pained breaths and nothing else. Even the ringing in her head was gone.
Slowly, she got to her feet, taking a look around the cabin. Moonlight was filtering in through the dirty windows, and once her eyes adjusted she could see better. It was a one room affair, but there was a fireplace and a crude cooking area, an old blue and white cooler covered in dust, and a single bed in the corner. She couldn’t believe it. She’d somehow found herself inside a new, probable shelter.
Something passed by the window and she almost stopped breathing, but it was simply a shadow passing over the moon. Allie took a seat on the floor, and didn’t sleep that night, waiting for dawn’s first light to tell her she was truly safe.

Chapter Text

Allie’s eyes were fluttering half closed by the time the sun rose, filtering through the grimy windows in patches. Her legs were numb and the silence was lulling her tired body closer and closer to sleep. But when the cabin’s interior got lighter and lighter, and the shadows retreated back into the corners, she forced herself to her feet. She could see everything in detail now.

It was ...a decent sized cabin, with a decent amount of things in it that she had missed the night before. She saw an axe hanging on the wall, and hobbled over on numb legs to examine it more closely. It looked worn but sturdy, with only a single chip in its blade. That would definitely come in useful.

The kitchen, if it could be called that, had a counter and an appliance on top of it that she recognized as a hot plate, modified for forest living. Below and above the counter were several cupboards and drawers that might have more supplies she could make use of. She’d have to check later. The fireplace had no wood and the cooler was empty but for a place that had been abandoned, it wasn’t too shabby.

Her muscles were stiff from sitting in one place all night, her chest tight from lack of sleep, but she couldn’t sleep yet. Not until she’d made sure she was safe. 

Allie limped slowly to the door, wincing at the pins and needles sensation in both feet and lifted the rusted latch. It made a satisfying and heavy clunking noise as she dropped it and pulled the wooden door open. The clearing the cabin was situated in was brightly lit by the sun, the entire area empty of trees in a large circle maybe thirty paces around. She stepped beyond the threshold of the cabin and inhaled the freshness of the air. There was a proper chill in it now that could only mean fall was on the way. 

Far from her established territory, where she had painstakingly set up traps to catch food for herself and foraged for nuts and roots and mushrooms that she knew were edible, Allie knew nothing of the area she’d found herself in now. She lifted a hand to her head and closed her eyes. She’d struggled so hard to establish her survival over a month and a half of hard work and in one night, fate had brought her back to the beginning. Shelter was well and good, but if she couldn’t find food, she’d starve well before winter had the chance to do it for her. She opened her eyes and stared glumly at one of the metal machines that dotted the clearing before snapping herself out of it.

“Thinking like this isn’t going to help,” she admonished herself quietly, hands curling into fists at her side. “Its not like I’m as helpless as I was. I know how to set traps. There’s a blanket I can use in the cabin for string. Plenty of trees, plenty of sticks. Even a lake with plentiful fish, if there’s no rabbits around. I already know what to do, doing it over should be a piece of cake. Now move.”

Suitably chastised, she shifted into motion, first limping around the perimeter of her shelter until the circulation was restored to her legs. The way the area had been cleared of any brush, just leaving bare dirt and grass, was indicative of human interference. “Loggers,” she realized and said quietly. “This was a logging camp.” But there was only one cabin that she could see standing, no matter how intently she looked she couldn’t find any traces of others. “What happened to the people?”

 She examined the pickup truck next, which clearly had been a perfectly serviceable vehicle once. Its engine was on the ground now, overgrown with weeds and as she walked around to the driver’s side door, her breath caught in her throat. The side of the truck had been bent inward with great force, as if pummelled by a giant fist. What was more, the door itself had deep gashes in the metal, like an animal of immense strength had clawed it. Allie suddenly knew exactly what had happened to the people that camped and worked there, and it made her feel sick.

She didn’t look at the machines that dotted the clearing very closely, whatever they were, she couldn’t use them and they were probably already long broken. There didn’t seem to be any debris she could use in the area either. She moved back towards the cabin, picking her way between the truck and one of the mysterious logging machines, when a flash of something in its jaws caught her eye. She stopped and peered at the rusted grey metal, looking into its teeth. Folded and tucked between two of them was what appeared to be a piece of white paper. She hesitated only a moment before sticking her arm down the machine’s gullet to grab it. It remained as motionless and dead as ever, and when she turned the piece of paper over, she realized with a start that it was a photograph.

“This wasn’t here before...” she muttered, looking around at the peaceful trees suspiciously. But nothing moved, save for a small sparrow that hopped from branch to branch and twittered sweetly at her. 

Allie closed her hand over the photo and made her way back to the cabin, pushing open the door. She took off one of her shoes and then wedged it beneath the door to keep it open and air the place out. She set the photo still folded on the counter and then went to the bed. She’d deal with the mystery later, today she needed to make this place liveable. She pulled the blanket from the bed, took it outside and shook it out. She was expecting all manner of insects to have made it a home, but all that fluttered out was one singular dead moth. The bed had sheets on it, one fitted, one loose, and both were surprisingly clean. She pulled them off anyway to check beneath them, but the bed was clear of anything living on it. How long had this cabin been empty? A year, at least?

 She remade the bed and sat on it, feeling the mattress sink under her weight. With some TLC, this place could become her home, at least through the fall and winter months. She wasn’t under any illusion, staying in the forest past spring wasn’t in the cards for her. If she was lucky the monster that she’d encountered before would leave her alone—if she wasn’t, well...

The image of the truck with its side clawed open flashed through her mind and she shuddered.

It was hard for her to leave the bed, her body was crying for rest, but she needed to see what the photograph was all about. She closed the door, instead struggling with the nearest window until it slid half open with a grating sound. She picked up the photo and returned to the bed, leaning back against the wooden wall as she unfolded it and smoothed out the creases. It was bleached by the sun but in colour and showed a smiling family in a backyard somewhere, a green lawn and a brown fence behind them. The subjects were an older woman with brown hair streaked with grey and soft grey eyes full of kindness next to a man with black hair sticking his tongue out at the camera and holding a young boy, also with black hair and a button nose like his father. And situated in the middle was a young woman with blonde hair, and identical eyes to the woman who had a hand on her shoulder.

Allie covered her mouth with a hand and let out a gasp. It was her.

The photograph slipped from her fingers and fluttered to the floor. She let it fall, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts and feelings she struggled to rein in.

The memory of that vivid dream where she heard her mother’s voice came back to her, and her hands started to shake. She had a family. She had a family.

She groaned as she bent to pick the photo back up, her busted rib still tender, her battered body still achey and sore.

She carefully laid back on the bed, clutching the photo to her chest. Tentatively, she tried to fit the image of the woman in her dreams and the photo to the one missing in her memories. Without any trouble, they fit together, and she almost cried as she recalled just how her mother looked while smiling. Laughing, eyes shining with happiness. And more then that; what she looked like in sadness, anger and surprise. She even remembered her name. Michelle. It was Michelle. And then Allie did start crying, soft sobs as she curled onto her side and looked at the photo with blurry eyes and cheeks wet with tears. There was an ache in her now that went deeper then broken bones and bruised body.

“Mom...” she whispered, voice trembling and small. “I want my mom.”

She cried until she used the last reserves of her strength and finally, fell asleep.

The day wore on, the world moving around the little cabin without regard for its occupant, the wooden shelter she’d found herself in a reprieve from the elements, and when Allie woke again the day was over and night had come. She sat up slowly, listening to the silence. The window was still open, but the only sound she could hear was the wind gently blowing through the trees.

Oh no.

She got off the bed and made her way to the nearest window, peering out at the moonlit night. The night she’d been chased into this place, it had been a full moon, but now it was waning, and less light bathed her surroundings. And that silence... it pressed down on her, immobilizing her.

Something in the trees was moving, or was it her imagination? She heard a branch crack and she ducked down, the spell broken, fingers trembling against the wooden wall.

It knew she was in here. It chased her into the cabin after all, why hadn’t she just left it? She should have left. It was suicidal to stay and think it would just let her live. Out in the dark, the silence was broken by the scream of some animal as it died horribly. Allie jumped and then moved slowly back to the bed, with the goal of laying beneath it and hiding. 

Something scraped against the other side of the cabin and she jolted, turning towards the second window on the opposite wall, heart in her throat, frozen halfway to her goal. 

Something was moving out there, beyond the grimy glass, she could see it shifting in the gloom.

First, the window was blacked out by the bulk of the monster, then a bone white hand with long, spider-like fingers pressed to the glass, smearing dark red liquid across its surface. She had to stifle a whimper by covering her mouth tightly. Maybe it didn’t know she was in the cabin.
She found herself praying that that was the case, frozen in full view of the window. The hand moved, and she realized it was seeking a way in, fingers lightly tapping the glass, running across the closed sill, the only sound in the deafening quiet. She turned towards the open window with growing dread and almost cried out. Another hand, thin and pale in the moonlight, threw shadows on the wall as it hovered over the glass, not touching it, not yet. Once the monster realized that it was open, it would reach in and snatch her, she just knew it. 

Her eyes darted to the other window again, but the hand there had moved on, leaving a bloody print twice the size of her own hand behind. It was moving again, over to the side she was on, to the open window. 

Her eyes flew over the walls, looking for something she could use to fend off her impending death, and they landed on the axe. If she went for it, the monster would hear her, and it would attack. Her shelter seemed so flimsy now, just a house of matchsticks with a frightened girl inside.

But she had to do something. 

The roof creaked and she got slowly to her feet, masking the sound. It was above her, and around her, she could hear it moving now, the click of claws against wood, the groan of timbers as it climbed over her shelter like some demonic spider. She imagined she could hear it breathing, seeking her blood and flesh. She imagined it was listening to her too, just listening to her heartbeat and whetting its appetite. 

Then it was moving again, that hand finding the window sill, clawed fingers digging slightly into the wood and slipping inside and she was out of options. She scrambled to her feet and lunged for the axe, just as the monster reacted to the sound and thrust its hand into the room to grab her, the sharp claws barely missing her forearm as she dodged out of the way.

She ripped the axe from the wall, feeling the pressure of the air increase as it tried to use its psychic abilities against her, try to incapacitate or debilitate her. She winced but held her ground, both hands clutching the axe tightly. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” She shouted over the sudden ringing in her ears, the pain behind her eyes. 

Yelling made her feel good. Made her feel strong, and gripping the axe made her feel braver.

Allie pressed against the far wall by the kitchen as she watched the creature’s hand claw at nothing. Then it stopped, fell to the floor, and like a dying snake, slithered backwards out of the window before disappearing. 

She didn’t drop her guard, eyes flicking from one window to the other, and then a shadow fell over the one closest to her and she did scream at the sight of its empty blank face pressed to the dirty glass. Its breath fogged the surface somehow, as it looked at her without any eyes, and she knew it was all over. There were no other doors out of the cabin and the windows were too small to escape from. 

Her legs felt like they wanted to give out, but she continued standing, she didn’t want to die cowering like a rabbit before a knife. The front door suddenly rattled violently, and with a sinking feeling she realized that she’d never put the latch back in place before she went to sleep. The sound broke her from the power of its gaze, and she turned to face the door, axe held tight. She braced herself for it to be torn off its hinges or clawed open, but the sounds stop abruptly and when she looks back to the window, the monster is no longer in sight. Its still there, she can sense it, she can sense—

A sudden overwhelming presence filled her mind, something that had only been hinted at when she encountered the monster in the woods. Now it was filling her and it drove her to her knees, the axe dropping from her unresponsive fingers. She was screaming but she couldn’t hear it, drowning in the sensations washing over her being. Fear. Despair. The realization that this monster was ancient. Unknowable. She should just give up. She should just submit, she should just die—

No.

It was quiet, it was weak, but part of her resisted the suffocating emotions that the monster was making her feel. She felt the oppressive, alien thoughts recede, then surge in intensity as it tried to break her. She shook her head, on her knees, throat bleeding from the power of her screams. 

Get out.

It wavered.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!”

She lost her voice, felt her vocal cords give out with the strength of the scream she threw at it, both audibly and mentally.

The attack stopped. She sagged forwards, gasping and trembling, feeling the dark thoughts drain away, seep back to their master. But it didn’t leave her head.
It didn’t listen to her but she was too weak to fight any more, and just curled into a ball, defenceless. The monster’s presence, its power, its mind, whatever it was began sifting through her experiences, her memories, and she was powerless to stop it absorbing her thoughts.

It settled on the memory of the first day she remembered, when she’d woken up in the woods with nothing, not even a name.

It radiated an intelligence she couldn’t and didn’t want to deny. Whatever this creature was; cryptid, creature, alien, monster— it was impossibly ancient, sentient ...and it understood her.

She struggled to get back to her knees, feeling the terror fuelled urge to run, run far, run until it was gone, but she felt like a bug stuck with a pin, all of her, every facet of her personality and self was laid bare before this...entity, and she knew that it had the ability to render her nothing more then a vegetable if it wanted.

She didn’t fight it as it took her back, and she remembered.

When the blonde girl woke, her head hurt. A low groan escaped her cracked lips, and then she let her grey eyes flicker open. Oogh...

Her blurred vision got clearer with every blink, until the mess of colours and shapes she was seeing resolved themselves into what was clearly a forest.

She blinked again, and as she forced herself up onto her elbows and knees, the horizontal trees righted themselves. Where was she?

Thinking hurt still. Her brain was fuzzy, a dull pounding ache behind her eyes and near the base of her skull. She slid one hand to press gingerly against the back of her head and pain flared. Oh. She must have hit her head.

With a wince, she pulled her fingers away. At least she wasn’t bleeding. Now she just needed to figure out what was going on.

When she reached for memories to explain, there was nothing there. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall how she’d come to be in the forest, why, or even who she was. Who was she? What was her name? She had one, right? Everyone had a name!

Her heart thudded suddenly. This was... bad, wasn’t it? Being alone in a strange forest without even a name? She could remember what bears were, and wolves too, and wasn’t at all keen on meeting any of either.

As she got to her feet a little unsteadily and turned around, a scream of surprise escaped her lips. She was not alone. 

There was a stranger lying face down on the ground, face slightly smushed into the moss and leaves— a man with close cropped dark hair and a metal ear piercing. She stared at him for a few moments, before a chill ran down her spine.

He wasn’t breathing. Was he hurt? Was he... dead? The girl really didn’t want to get closer to find out.

She took a step back instead, filled with growing anxiety. She was in a strange forest, suffering amnesia, and there was someone possibly hurt, possibly dead only feet from where she had woken up! 

“Okay,” she exhaled. “Okay, this is bad, but its not... awful. Its still warm out, and even if the guy is d-dead, maybe he has a phone?”

She wrung her hands, looking back at the motionless figure. A phone. There was a chance, a slim chance that she’d be perfectly fine. She just had to find his phone.

“I really don’t want to do this,” she assured the trees, as if they could hear her. “I do not want to— okay.. okay, Allie, breathe.”

Balling her fists up at her sides, the girl inhaled shakily through her nose and out through her mouth, and forced her feet to move her closer to the body.

The body. No one could be that still, not like that.

“H-Hello?” She directed her words at the corpse. “I’m not trying to desecrate you or... anything, I just need a phone.”

She kneeled shakily next to the man’s torso, chewing at her cut lip. This was gonna suck no matter what. She put both hands on his side and pushed, trying to roll him over.

“Oh my god!”

She leapt back as the corpse flopped onto its back, limp and its eyes blank and glassy, skin too pale. There was a large hole in his chest and abdomen, the torn flesh sticky and fresh. Most of the blood had drained into the earth beneath him. He was missing...almost all of his organs. “Oh f-fuck!”

She turned away to retch, trying to keep whatever was in her stomach down. “I’m sorry, I’m—“

As she reached one hand towards the man’s black jacket, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Suddenly, she felt watched. It made her yank her hand back and glance around the clearing, heart beating harder in her chest.

Should she call out? What if what killed the guy was watching? What if she was next?

After a few tense moments of scanning the trees, the feeling disappears.

She lets out a breath, turning back to the dead man. “Must have been an animal. You got this, just get the phone.”

Suitably peptalked, the girl reached for the man’s jacket and slipped her hand into his pocket. She couldn’t look at his milky eyes, and as soon as she felt  the hard rectangle of a phone, she yanked it out. Her heart leapt when she saw it was an iphone, but then immediately sank when it failed to turn on. “No, no... C’mon!”

It was as dead as its owner and she groaned before tossing it onto the ground. There went her hopes.

A piece of paper was sticking out of the man’s pocket and when she noticed it, she reached out two fingers to pull it free. It was just a simple lined piece of pocket notebook paper, but as she unfolded it and read the contents, her eyes widened.

There were three simple lines scrawled on the sheet, but they all but screamed at her.

The first was a name. Her name?

The second a number.

The third...

She frowned and ran her fingers over the words.

What could it mean?

-Allie.

-23

-Knows too much.

“Allie.”

That was as good a name as any, and as she said it, the word resonated with her. That was her name! She was Allie. She was Allie and she was 23. At last, a piece of the puzzle. 

The sudden crack of branches deeper in the woods made Allie jolt abruptly. She stuffed the paper into her red jacket and stood. What now? It was going to get dark, she’d be all alone and vulnerable

“I gotta get out of here.”

She walked away from the corpse and toward the trees. She had no idea where she was going, or where the nearest person was, besides the dead guy of course. She could be wandering until she died. But what choice did she have?

Allie cast one last look back at the dead man and then forward towards the endless sea of trees.

She started walking.

She’s thrown back into her body with a lurch, gasping for breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

It had been there. For whatever reason, it had killed that man. It had been watching her. It was always watching.

She could almost see in her minds eye the connection between herself and it, no... he. It was like a tendril of blackness. She reached out, intent on somehow throwing up a wall to protect herself from the violating presence, but instead, she touched the connection and felt an emotion ripple through it. Shock. The connection suddenly snapped and the presence vanished, and she knew she was alone.

Her mind overcome, she shut down, and blacked out where she had fallen.

Chapter Text

How long had it been? One week? Two?
It felt like two to Allie, though she had no way to track the days except by carving a line into the wall of the cabin over the bed, which she did, every day. Like a prisoner in a jail trying to keep themselves sane as the minutes, hours, days tick by on their death sentence.

After her encounter with the monster— there really was no way to say that, was there?

She knew he’d come back. She’d touched the mind of a being more powerful then anything she could comprehend, surely he would come back and finish what he started, ending her life in a horrible, painful, messy fashion like he did everyone else in his forest.

She’d slipped from calling the monster an ‘it’ to a ‘he’ after that night.

She wasn’t sure she’d wake to see the dawn, but not only had she, but it was glorious.
Stumbling out of that cabin and feeling the cold air and warm sun on her face felt like her death sentence had been stayed for one more night. She’d taken most of that day to rest and recover from her injuries, and in the evening, she left her sanctuary and went foraging. There were still acorns and there were still berries, though they were sour now, and small. The meal, while meagre, had given her more energy the next day she woke up alive. 

And so it went, she’d go to bed wondering if she was going to make it to morning, and spend each day like it was her last.

Five days. Five ticks in the wood above her bed, and the monster hadn’t shown his empty face even once. She didn’t sense him watching her either.

Her elation at waking up still breathing slowly dampened over the next three days, as she began wondering what exactly was happening. Was that it? Had he decided to let her live out her life without his interference?

Had he given up on the idea of stringing her up in a tree like that one poor fellow?

She didn’t think so. It was too easy, and this monster had been fucking with her from the start.

The only other conclusion she could come up with was decidedly less pleasant but seemed the only one that fit.

He was waiting for something. For the optimal moment to strike and end her when she thought she was safe.

With that unhappy thought in mind, every day after that held a growing paranoia, a trepidation.

After two whole weeks of waiting, she all but tore out her hair.

One such day she sat atop one of the logging machines and chewed on a head of honeysuckle, just enjoying the sweet nectar, and a branch in the forest surrounding her dropped to the ground, or maybe it cracked, it made a sound that almost had her jumping out of her skin.
After walking the perimeter of her camp, twice, she threw up her hands.

“This is STUPID!”

She lowered them, listening to the echo of her angry outburst fade away into nothing, and felt her shoulders slump a little when nothing happened. She didn’t know why she expected anything to, why she wanted anything to.

She headed back into her cabin and retrieved the skinned rabbit meat she’d stored in the cooler. She looked at the slab of meat in her hand, weighing it. Was that what the monster saw her as?

She didn’t even know if he ate the people he killed or if they were just for sport. Why did she care so much?

She moved to put the meat on the counter, and caught sight of the axe leaning against the wall. 

She hadn’t touched it since the attack, since she’d learned that the monster that had been hunting her was so much more then an animal.

She bit her lip, thoughts swirling. Maybe she didn’t have to be slaughtered. Maybe... just maybe there was a way she could change her fate, maybe...

“This is crazy,” she muttered to herself, voicing the thought aloud. “Something like that... Can it even be reasoned with?”

She put the rabbit back in the cooler and then bent to pick up the axe. It was heavy in her grip, and all of a sudden she felt a little reckless thrill pass through her belly. She was going to give this crazy idea a shot. To save her life, she was going to flip the script, and bring the monster to her.

Chopping a tree down was just as difficult as she’d first imagined, and she almost cut off her own foot at least twice before she had enough wood for her purpose. She left the axe buried in the still standing tree trunk and moved to the middle of the cleared area, dragging the long sheet of bark and all the spikes of wood and sticks she’d foraged and cut off the tree, and arranged them in something of a teepee shape on the ground, leaning them up against each other.
The grass was too wet to catch fire so she wasn’t worried as she balanced the bark up atop the wood. When the bonfire was ready to be lit, she left it, went back to her cabin and retrieved her knife.

She hunted for roughly three hours and caught four rabbits; enough meat for a whole week She killed them swiftly, one by one and felt only a tiny pang of emotion for their lost lives. But they were going to be part of something bigger. They were going to ensure her survival by becoming the centerpiece of her offering. She didn’t gut or skin them, just cut off their heads and laid them onto the bark. She didn’t know exactly how to make an offering, but she hoped the monster wouldn’t mind her inexperience. When the sun started its westward descent, she lit the fire, made sure there was enough breathing room for the flames to grow and start cooking the rabbits and mushrooms she dumped in around them. As an afterthought, and to make her intent clear, she cut her palm and dripped her own blood over everything. The way she saw it, the monster had claimed her as his prey. She didn’t know just how powerful his sense of smell was, but maybe if he smelled her blood, he’d come to investigate. She pressed her bleeding hand to her pant leg. it hurt, but not too much.

Allie sat beside the fire as it spat and crackled, the wood popping with the heat, the scent of roasting rabbit and the smoke filling the air. She sat until the sun went down and the rabbits went from rare to medium to well done to black, and still nothing. The fire was starting to burn low and stars twinkled overhead, and she was about ready to give up and go to bed when the forest surrounding her quietened. Her back straightened and she looked around, beyond her circle of light into the trees. She didn’t make a sound. Then she heard a creak. And then another, and another still, and the trees groaned like they were being contorted, twisted.

Allie felt her heart leap into her throat and stay there, almost choking her. Something beyond the light moved, a shadow deeper then the soft darkness surrounding it. A figure of a man but much too tall. She got to her feet, felt her shoulders tremble, her hands shake.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, she couldn’t speak. The figure came forwards, the cacophony of the trees silenced abruptly. Then, all at once, the monster was towering over her in the dying firelight, the flickering flames casting strange shadows over his blank face. She couldn’t help it, she took a step back, eyes wide.
Her plan had extended only to getting the monster to come to her, no further, and now her mind was blank, full of that crushing silence. He wasn’t attacking her though, which had to be a good sign. Right?

He bent his body at an inhuman angle and brought his face close to the fire, presumably sniffing the now burned rabbits and mushrooms and blood and she took the opportunity to take another step back. Her foot crunched on something small and it drew his attention, that smooth head jerking up and turning to look at her. Slowly, she lifted both hands up, stopping the motion when she saw his face distort and his hidden lip curl. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his fangs, looking wet in the light. A low growl she could hear both with her ears and in her head, came from the creature, and then he stalked around the fire towards her, mouth opening wider. All his teeth were revealed now, his black gums exposed as his lips pulled back and his face wrinkled.

Oh hell.

She stumbled into motion the second before he lunged at her with another snarl and a swipe of a clawed hand, and then she turned and ran. She saw the axe handle illuminated in the firelight and ran right for it, wrapped her fingers around it and gave it a hard yank, intending to turn and cut the creature’s head off before he sank those teeth into her— but the axe was stuck. She cried out and the monster collided with her, and she felt his claws dig into her side and violently turn her body. He pinned her to the tree next to the axe, and no matter how she tried to yank his arm away, he was just too strong. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin and found herself very afraid. 

The monster brought his face down to hers, uncomfortably close. His breath washed over her face and she felt her knees go weak. Not like this, she prayed, please, no!

She couldn’t look at his open mouth any longer, couldn’t face death with her eyes open, so she shut them tight and turned her face away, tensing in preparation for the pain.

She waited, each terrified heartbeat an agony, but the seconds ticked by and she was still alive. She had to look.

The monster’s mouth was closed, but its face was still wrinkled, conveying displeasure. She stared at it, bewildered, aware that she might have pissed herself with the warm wetness rolling down her leg. 

But still, it just looked at her with eyes she couldn’t discern, uncomfortably close. It was still breathing on her, too A hot, rotted meat scented breath that made her want to gag. A strange sound escaped its throat, a sort of rippling popping sound, and then it was in her head again, and she winced as the presence sharpened to a spike and the pain came. She cried out again and cringed back against the tree, lashing out with her hands unconsciously thrust forward. A hand caught her wrist, so much bigger then her own, strong enough to snap her bones like a twig, and the presence withdrew as it turned its head to look at the cut on her palm. It was bleeding again. She finally found her voice.

“Wh-what d-do you w-want!?”

All at once, her mind was being attacked again, it felt like the monster was tearing through her thoughts, searching for something. He found it, and then she gasped as her mind expanded beyond its usual confines. He’d forced a connection, and it was like unlike anything she’d ever felt. She could feel his power, coming off him in waves, and knew that if he thought she was a threat, or even if he felt like it, he could make her suffer just being in his presence.

She asked again, this time mentally.

What do you want? Are you going to kill me?

Eyes wide and unseeing, lost in the mental transmission she missed the creature twitch back, then come forwards again, the pale hand wrapped around her wrist moving to her face, sharp claws lightly dragging over her soft skin. 

Images flooded her mind, too many to keep track of. She only caught snatches of them. A forest burning. Her face, blood on his hands. An old white tree, the color purple. The photograph of her family, but her family’s faces are burned out.

“I dont understand! Why are you doing this?!”

She spoke aloud and in her head, and the monster let go of her face and trailed a hand down to her neck. It wrapped its fingers around her throat and tightened them, and suddenly was lifting her into the air. her feet kicked, choked sounds escaping her lips. The images stopped, replaced by emotions all muddled together. Frustration. Hunger. Curiosity. Anger. She understood him quite clearly. He had no idea what to do with her and was angry because of it.

Desperate and her lungs burning for air, she tried to convey she understood, reaching for the bridge connecting their minds. She must have told him something because he let her go and she dropped heavily to the ground, gasping and staring up at him with complete awe and fear. 

He looked back at her a moment, then straightened his spine and let his long arms hang loosely at his sides. He turned slightly away from her, as if he’d gotten bored of playing with her.

She felt his presence fading, pulling from her thoughts, but before it disappeared completely, he sent her one final message. An image of herself dead and glassy eyed, branches coming from her mouth and chest, blood staining her frozen, screaming lips; and a single word, in english, branded into her mind like a hot iron, in a voice so deep and commanding she felt it in her bones. A warning.

Stop.

Chapter Text

Stop. He’d told her to stop what she was doing, what she was thinking. Stop trying to get closer, stop trying to find common ground between them. He had demanded it.

If she didn’t heed his warning, she would die.

Allie threw herself into her daily tasks with a determination that was surprising even to her, trying in vain to get his message out of her head.

He’d only said a single word to her, and yet, for three weeks it had been on her mind. 

Every night the temperature got cooler, the leaves on the trees had already begun to change colour, going from green to yellow in patches, and she estimated she had maybe a month or two left of summer before the seasons changed again. Time was marching ever onward, and she was starting to feel the pressure. The squirrels were already storing nuts in their holes, and when she visited the berry patch, she saw a singular black bear nosing among the stems. 

Fall was coming, and new berries and other edible things would soon grow in other parts of the forest, but she’d be competing with the other inhabitants this time around, competing in a race against frost and beast to stock up on food for winter.

Stop, he’d told her. Stop what? Stop being human? Stop trying to make the best out of her situation, stop trying to ensure her own survival? Something had happened, something crazy, something terrifying—but also something exhilarating.

She’d gotten through to him. They’d both learned things about each other. She learned that he was more then a beast, capable of reason and rational thought, and he learned that she was more then just food. At least, she hoped that was his takeaway. Her continued existence seemed to point to that conclusion.

Stop...

She couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. 

If there was a way to appease him, to guarantee she’d keep breathing in the long run; she was going to find it. She’d just... be more subtle about it.

Three weeks, since her burnt offering fiasco. The dark ashes of her bonfire permanently marked the spot in her camp, at least until the next rain.

Three weeks since she’d connected with that creature in a way she’d never anticipated.

She made sure she kept her distance, even though he seemed more open to showing himself.

She’d seen him twice since that night; once when she was fishing in the lake the woods went quiet and she barely had time to hide before she sensed his presence, saw him drinking at the water’s edge several yards away. If he knew she was there, he never showed any inkling.

She had stayed where she was, until he was long gone, and when the forest’s ambience returned, her breath did also.

The second time, it was near sunset and she was headed back to her camp after an unsuccessful day of hunting. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t heed the signs and almost ran right into his path as he slipped through the trees like a ghost, silent and tall. She’d made sure to lock her cabin door that night.

Despite her fear, she was drawn to him. In her dreams—mundane recreations of her daily life— he lingered, passing just beyond the edges of her vision. Dark tendrils curling out of sight behind the trees, clawed hands tapping at her windows. In her dreams, she felt a need to confront him, but every time she looked, he was gone. And the urge she felt to continue on that self destructive path didn’t leave when the sun rose.

So she toiled, cutting wood with the axe and stockpiling it against the back of her cabin, gathering as many nuts and mushrooms and berries as she could get her hands on, drying them so they keep for weeks and smoking fish and rabbit meat to have meals at the ready on rainy or cold days.

She scoured the cabin clean multiple times, washed and cleaned all her equipment, made more and repaired her tools. Everything and anything to stop her from wandering through that forest until she found him. 

She wanted answers, but she didn’t even know the questions to ask, and apart from those times she saw him from afar, he never came back. It seemed he didn’t actually want to kill her, and she was grateful for sure, but also...agitated.

If he wasn’t going to kill her, what did he want her for? Or was she simply too unimportant to care about? For reasons she didn’t understand, that didn’t sit right with her. Her thoughts, and emotions, were all muddled.

She was cleaning out the drawers in the kitchen, when it happened. She had stuck her hand in behind the drawer and against the underside of the counter to clear out any spiderwebs that had taken up residence, when she felt something. Something was clipped  back there, where no one would find it. She felt it, it was square, and bendy. She cut her fingertip on the edge and with a bit of effort, pulled it free. It was a piece of folded paper. Another photograph? Her heart picked up its pace at the thought. 

Sticking her cut index finger into her mouth and sucking on it a little, she unfolded it with her others and laid it on the counter. It wasn’t a photograph, but a strange advertisement. She unfolded it all the way and her grey eyes widened. 

It was some sort of tourist brochure, detailing a symbol legend, a list of faded things to do, and...

“A map!” She breathed out excitedly.

The map was green and yellow, with points of interest all over it, showing trails and campsites and mountains and what could only be...

A road. A highway by the look of it, a thin but distinct red line that ran through and along the forested area.

A part of the map had been circled, close by a body of water titled Maligne Lake, and a line drawn in black marker made a trail through the woods to the highway.

Her heart almost stopped in her chest.

This was the logger’s map. Whoever they had been, they’d marked the quickest way to the highway for their own use, and now she had it.

She had a way out. Forget dealing with the monster. Forget stocking up on food for the winter— she could leave, she could leave and she could go home, she could see her mother again. Allie’s breath caught in her lungs at the thought. What would she say if she knew the things her daughter had been through? 

She couldn’t imagine her reaction. Her hands slowly turned over the unfolded pamphlet and she read the name on the cover, running her fingers over the faded design.

She spoke softly, as if raising her voice would wake her from the beautiful dream she was in.

“...Jasper National Park.”

She let out a soft exhale and moved to sit on the bed,  hearing it creak under her weight.  She knew where she was. She wasn’t simply lost in the forest anymore and it brought tears to her eyes. As she cried, it felt like a weight was taken from her shoulders. All she had to do was get to the highway. Walking along it for however long, but another teary look at the map showed that it also marked towns and cities on it too, at the edges.
The nearest one was a place called Lake Louise. She wiped her tears and set the map aside, noticing how dark it was getting beyond her shelter. She slipped the map beneath her pillow, and went to douse the fire in the grate, resolving to start planning her escape at first light the following morning.

Dawn was cold, like always and Allie shivered as she dressed and chewed on cold bland rabbit meat and sour berries for breakfast. She trekked down to the lake for a drink and a brisk wash and got to see the pink and orange sunrise glimmering on the surface of the water. If there was one thing she’d miss, it was the sunrises. 

She undressed quickly, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible, and then ran into the cold, cold water, yelping her displeasure as she scrubbed her skin and hair clean as fast as she could, hopping from foot to foot. If she was going back to civilization that day, she didn’t want to go looking (and smelling) like a wild animal.

By the time she was finished, the sun had risen a little higher on the horizon and warmed her with its rays, and she was able to dry off without too much shivering. It looked like it was going to be a bright, sunny day with minimal cloud cover. Perfect for reuniting with civilization.

She redressed, and feeling refreshed, headed back to her camp. The cabin door was hanging wide open, and as she approached, her steps slowed. She hadn’t left it open, had she?
Something didn’t feel right as she watched the door swing slightly in the morning breeze, but the forest was loud and full of life, like it was every morning.

She entered cautiously, but nothing visible had been taken or even moved. It was all very strange.

Her heart thudded as she remembered the pamphlet, and she rushed to her bed and tore the pillow off it, but it was still there, folded neatly where she’d left it, untouched. She snatched it up and held it to her chest, her breathing easing. Maybe she had left the door open without realizing it after all. 

She folded the paper into a square and then slipped it into her pocket before filling her other pocket with a handful of berries and dried rabbit meat for the journey. Finally she picked up her knife, and took one last look around the cabin. It had been an adequate shelter for a while, and it would be an adequate shelter for anyone else that came through the forest.

Providing, she found herself thinking, they survived the monster in the woods.

What would he think of her leaving? Would he be angry he never got the chance to kill her? If that was the case, she was glad to be going. 
  

The forest seemed brighter then usual, maybe because she was so full of new life, but Allie enjoyed the walk to the beginning of the trail that was marked on the logger’s map.
She passed a tall tree and slowed to a stop, looking up at it with a shudder crawling down her back. There were many clawmarks in the bark, far too high up to be bear marks, deep slashes that wept sap.

She walked more cutiously as she continued on her way, ears pricked for the quieting of the forest that signalled his presence nearby.

The sun shone down between the trees in bright golden streams and she saw no sign of the monster, or more of his territorial markings. She walked for roughly an hour, and when she finally stopped to take a rest, she put her back against an antless tree and then pulled the map out of her pocket again to check she was still on the right track.
There was a whisper of wind in her ears, barely noticeable over the forest ambience, and when she lowered the map, a pleased smile on her face, something was wrong.

She took a step, then another, and then a third, scanning the surrounding trees.

Was it just her, or did this patch of woods look...familiar?

Confused, she turned to look behind her, and her eyes were drawn up to the markings on the tree she had been leaning on, high over her head, several slashing clawmarks. 

It was the same tree. 

Allie stumbled backwards, her confusion turning to fear. No, no that wasn’t right.
She checked the map, then steadied her breath and strode forwards with purpose again. Halfway to the point she’d reached the first time, the scenery around her changed. It made her cry out and jump back, but when she lifted her eyes, there was that damned tree again.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head from side to side in denial. “No, no, no...don’t do this to me...”

She ran forwards, but tripped and fell as a root that wasn’t on the path before her appeared out of thin air, her surroundings horrifyingly familiar again. The clawed up tree stood like a sentinel, barring her way forward through some unseen power.

 Her knees were scraped and her palms too, but she ignored the sting of her flesh as she stood and pelted forwards again with a growl, only to run straight into the tree with a startled shriek. She clutched her head, eyes closing as she continued to shake it.
“Don’t do this to me... Don’t do this to me!”

She heard the whispering, soft and breathy in her ears, the words lost in the multitude. “Let me out,” she said shakily to the empty trees. Then louder. “Let me out!”

Nothing happened, the incoherent whispering never stopped.

She ran forwards blindly and slammed into the tree again, and this time she screamed, clawing at the bark. “LET ME OUT!!!!”

This, this had to be his doing. There was no other way it would be possible. He had found out somehow that she intended to leave—and he was stopping her. She didn’t know why, she didn’t know what he wanted with her. She only knew that it made her angry.
She screamed again wordlessly and left the path, tried advancing forwards via a different route but all her efforts had her facing that tall, scarred up tree.

“No,” she growled, feeling all her dreams of freedom start to crack like fragile glass. “No, let me out! You have to let me go!”

The wind made the branches of the large tree creak, but that was the only response it gave. 

Allie turned to the trail she couldn’t go down, feeling homesickness growing in her like a hole in her heart. Homesickness for a place she didn’t remember, a family she hadn’t known she had. 

“Let me go,” she whispered, voice soft and hopeless. “Please, please, let me go...”

Still whispering, she closed her eyes and started forwards, moving blindly, hands out. Maybe it was an illusion. Maybe she was finally going mad. She made sure her hands were out in front of her and her feet were walking in a straight line down the middle of the path. The whispers swelled slightly in her ears, and then her fingers pressed against rough bark. She knew what it was even before opening her eyes.

Why? Why was she trapped in the forest? Why wasn’t she allowed to leave? What did he want with her, why was he tormenting her so?

She just wanted to go home. She was prepared to leave him and everything in the forest behind, if she could just go home.

She pushed herself up and away from the cursed tree, turning away from the path she was forbidden from taking.

She picked a random direction and started forwards, and as expected, she was allowed to proceed.

Bitterness, sorrow and anger swelled in her throat as the tears came, her fists clenching at her sides.

It wasn’t fair.

She’d done nothing to deserve this; she’d just struggled to survive. From day one, she’d struggled. Did he despise her for it? Was he trying to prove a point, or did he just enjoy treating her cruelly?

The anger bubbled up inside her and she stopped walking, wiping away the tears that burned her eyes. 

“Monster!” She called out, loudly and clearly, even though she knew she didn’t need to. The forest was his domain, after all, and he would hear her even if she whispered.

 “Monster, I know you’re out there! I know you’re watching me.. Y-You’re always fucking watching,” she added bitterly with a laugh. 

She didn’t care if contacting him was the last straw, if calling to him directly meant that she’d end up a feast for crows pinned like an insect to a tree. If it got her out of this cursed forest, and an even more cursed life, so be it.

“COME OUT, MONSTER! I GOT A REAL BONE TO PICK WITH YOU, YOU BASTARD!” She raised her voice as the anger flared in her, yelling now. 

The wind blew lightly through the trees, making them creak and sway, but that only emboldened her. “COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU STARVING BLANK FACED PRICK! YOU WANT ME TO STOP? THEN LET ME FUCKING LEAVE!!”

And then, the echo of her curses faded out, and was replaced by silence. A crushing, deafening silence that roared in her ears as she turned in a slow circle. 

She couldn’t hear anything but the soft wind, but she knew, drawn by her screams, he was there. In the trees, somewhere, watching her. Waiting to see what she was going to do next. 

She reached out mentally, but couldn’t sense anything but her own thoughts, so she took a deep breath and spoke clearly.

“Let me go.”

She felt him approach, felt the sudden primal urge to drop to her knees and curl up, but she ignored it. “Please,” she begged the unseen monster. “I just want to go home.”

There was pressure in her head and then he was there, looking through her thoughts to discern the source of her outburst. An image of the map flashed into her minds eye, and she clenched her fists again. Her voice shook, but she didn’t care, didn’t care what she was saying anymore. “You can’t do this to me, you can’t imprison me here!! You have to let me go home! I just want to go home!!”

She felt her anguish resonate through her head and then his irritation came through. He didn’t like her begging him for anything. He didn’t like that she felt so secure in contacting him, that she felt safe enough to make demands of him.

She winced as he sent out the static to cloud her thoughts and instigate a headache, but stayed on her feet.
She shook her head, stubbornly refusing to back down.

All of a sudden, he was there, coming forwards from the shaded trees, the sunlight playing over his blank face, which was furrowed with anger at her defiance. The light made his black suit look blue. She took a step back and he a step forward. 

“Stop,” she said, finding her voice again. “You told me to stop trying to learn about you! Okay, I’ll never bother you again. I promise, just... let me go home!”

She heard the growl before she saw it form on his face, his body stiffening, almost growing in size. Then he vanished and she realized she’d crossed some line, whirling around as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

Of course he was behind her.

She let out a loud yelp as the back of his hand crashed into her cheek and sent her spinning to the ground. She lay there for a span of heartbeats, stunned, cheek stinging. But before she could unscramble her thoughts, she felt his tentacles coil around her limbs, yanking her arms painfully behind her back. She cried out as the monster pulled them mercilessly tight, so much so her joints were straining to remain in their sockets.

She felt another tendril wrap tightly around her throat, and she was yanked back onto her knees, then her feet. She was spun to face the monster that haunted her waking hours and her dreams, the creature that held her freedom in his clawed hands. 

She stared up at him, tears in her eyes from the pain and the injustice. “You can’t do this,” she gasped out through the tentacle’s chokehold on her throat. “You can’t keep me here!!”

She was terrified, a familiar feeling around her tormentor, but also there was a fire in her eyes. His snarl smoothed out, the wrinkles leaving his face, and the tendril around her neck relaxed its grip. His hand replaced it, long fingers moving from her jugular, to her chin, and then gripping her face.

Allie cried out as his mental probe tore into her head, ripping the connection wide open and turning the headache into something that made vicious pain shoot through her skull.

She struggled in his grip as he went over her memories again, reliving her breakdown in the forest.

It hurt so much and she tried to throw up as many mental defences as she could. He ripped through every last one of them.

Stop! She cried, begging again. Please, stop! It hurts! It hurts, it hurts!

A ripple of anger passed through their link, and his grip on her face and her mind tightened. 

You don’t tell me what to do.
The words, spoken with the same deep and mental snarl as the first one, froze her in place, grey eyes wide.
His mouth opened, face wrinkling again, teeth viciously sharp and wet with saliva that glistened in the light. He hissed audibly at her, and then spoke again.

You are nothing.

His words were accompanied by images of dead men and women, some torn to pieces, some stabbed on branches or blood slick tendrils. Some were missing their heads, eyes, tongues.

It was gory and she understood exactly what he was getting at. They were not, and never would be equals. He was an entity, a monster, a demon of hellenic fable and she was nothing. His words branded themselves on her psyche, red hot and full of pain.

Why didn’t he just kill her, she wanted death, give her death, she didn’t want it to hurt anymore...

No. 
As he said it, he snapped his jaws and she flinched back, despair filling her chest and overflowing down her cheeks.

“...Why?”

Her question was small, and weak, and helpless, and she swore she heard him laugh. He let go of her face and then she yelped as the tendrils threw her to the ground. Her arms were shaking, the slightly torn ligaments in her shoulders crying out as she pushed herself up to run. Her feet were taken out from under her and she felt his clawed hand tighten on the back of her skull and forcefully push her face into the ground as he stood over her, his other hand digging into the earth only a few feet away. 

She let out a whimper, and felt his claws digging into her scalp. He could crush her skull like an egg if he felt like it, and she was helpless beneath him.

She heard his breath hiss out next to her ear and squeezed her eyes shut in terror, the tears falling from her eyes turning the dirt beneath her face to mud. 

“P—lease,” she moaned out, muffled by the ground. She couldn’t catch her breath properly through her sobs.

Just eat me already!

He didn’t speak again, but the combination of emotions and flashes of images he sent through their connection told her all she needed to know.

He wasn’t going to kill her. She wasn’t worthy of that. She wasn’t worthy of being his food.

She only deserved to suffer.

He let out an audible snarl and then his claws tangled in her hair, dragging her upright as she screamed. He held her on her knees, then shoved her to the ground again, and she stayed down this time, shaking with fear and pain and sobbing.

Gradually, the sounds of the forest filtered back into her ears, the wind lightly playing with her hair, and she knew he was gone. But she didn’t move, only hugged her arms to her chest and cried, curled into a ball on her side. She just lay there until the sun slipped behind a cloud and the shade passed over her face. 

She felt so broken. So weak and so cowed. The monster had taken her dreams of a life beyond this place, a life beyond the forest and beyond him—and crushed them. It took her a while to sit up, but once she did, she realized through her blurry vision that she was just before the clearing and her cabin.

She shuddered, got unsteadily  to her feet and staggered forwards towards her shelter.

A prisoner. That’s what she was. A prisoner, and a toy. He was going to torment her until he got bored of her, at which point she could only hope for death. No other fate awaited her now.

There would be no compromising. No understanding. He’d put her in her place so hard, she could see no alternatives.

The sun remained hidden by the clouds as they darkened, and she almost wished for another flood to wash her and every trace of her away. Almost.

She fell against the cabin door and stumbled inside, finding the bed and curling up on it, not caring that the door was left wide open, not caring that she was still crying. She took out her knife, looked at it a while, then lifted it to the wall, slowly carving another line in the wood. Another day on her extended death sentence.

Allie emptied her pockets, noticing the map was gone from her person but not caring. Now she knew what the monster wanted her for and she didn’t need it. He had taken it from her, along with any thoughts of opposition or fight in her.

She laid back down on her back and cried herself to sleep, unaware of the dark figure standing in the trees beyond her camp. She slumbered, missing the black tendrils as they slipped in through the doorway, wrapped around the door handle, and pulled it slowly closed behind them.

Chapter Text

The rain pattered down over the roof of the cabin, but Allie didn’t move from where she was curled up on the bed, staring listlessly at the faded photograph of her family. A gift he’d given her, if only so that it hurt more when he tore it away. 

She couldn’t stop staring at her mother’s face, at her gentle, tired smile. 

She’d never see that smile, that was for certain. Allie had cried until she had no tears left, and was most likely dehydrated, but she didn’t care. 
She hadn’t left the cabin in almost a week, subsisting on her supply of dried food when she could stomach anything at all.
She felt empty inside in a way no meal could fix. Unable to muster the energy to relight the fire in the grate or stretch her muscles, she’d spent most of her solitude asleep, lost in tangled dreams good and bad.

She’d lost her will to keep going, which must have been what he wanted all along, to break her spirit so thoroughly she’d stop trying, stop fighting to live.

Was he pleased with his work? She didn’t know. The only thing she knew was that the despair she felt had turned to a numb apathy that threatened to swallow her whole.

 The rain increased outside, the pitter-patter turning to a rhythmic drumming overhead and against the windows, and she closed her eyes again and let herself fade back into dreams to the sound, where she was free.

The loud thud of something heavy slamming into the cabin door was what woke her, and she sat bolt upright in bed with a frightened yell, clutching at the thin blanket that covered her. 

He’d come. She knew he had, and her fear overrided the apathy that had sunk into her bones, freezing her solid in place. She listened tensely, waiting with dread for the inevitable blow that caved in her front door.

It didn’t come, instead she heard something else, a deer braying.

Slowly, she got to her feet to peer out of the window. A buck’s shadowed shape staggered away from her cabin, shook its antlered head and then bounded away, a little dizzy from its collision. 
The forest was quiet, but in the way that meant the birds were still asleep and the creatures of the night were finishing up their nightly activities. 

Her legs gave out and she slid down the wall to the floor, a rough laugh breaking from her lips as she wrapped her shaking arms around her knees and hid her face in them. Fuck.
The relief was fleeting, and it drained her. 

How long was she going to experience that paralyzing rush of fear, that weak kneed terror that incapacitated her as surely as a rabbit staring down a hungry wolf?
How long was he going to haunt her every step, even when he was nowhere near?

When the sun rose, she did too, leaving her cabin for the first time in a while. The grass glittered with droplets of rain that still clung to the blades, and the ground was springy and moist and smelled fantastic.

She couldn’t make herself care.

She moved through her tasks like an automaton, going through the motions of checking the snare traps and then killing the animals she found in there. Today there was only a singular rabbit, thin and young, its chest fluttering rapidly when it saw her.
She felt nothing as she ended its life.

Crouched over the small lump of grey fur, she looked at her knife. It was smeared with the rabbit’s blood, a bright, lively red that dripped down towards the handle and her fingers as she lifted it to her eyes.

It was so easy now, to kill in the name of survival. To take life in the name of self preservation. It shouldn’t have been so easy.

It wasn’t a power she should ever have been made to wield.

She looked back down at the rabbit, still and empty in the grass, and then reached for its ears, pulling it up. She frowned and found herself looking into its glassy, dead eyes. They reflected her own tired stare back at her, and she had to look away.

Carefully she wiped her knife on the dewey grass and stood.

What was she but a rabbit in this scenario?

She was trapped, forced to continue the pantomime that she was in control of her own life, to eat and sleep and pretend that it would all get better, when in reality a merciless entity held the strings and could cut them at any time. 

At least rabbits weren’t aware of their own mortality. They ate and shat and fucked and bred because they knew nothing else. Sure, they knew that predators lurked above ground, but they weren’t aware of them until it was too late. Did a rabbit lose sleep at night because it could sense oblivion and agony just waiting beyond its ken?

She shuddered and headed back to her camp.

There was a piece of wood missing from the front door, likely from the buck crashing into it in the dark. She ran her fingers over it and sighed before pushing the door open. She’d have to fix that.

But did she really? Did she have to do anything anymore? What was the point of it all? There’d always be something that went wrong with her door.
Allie went inside and laid the rabbit on the counter, aware that her thoughts had shifted to a darker place. She wasn’t talking about her door anymore.

Why take her fate lying down? The insidious thoughts entreated. She could still fight back, if only long enough to spit in the monster’s eye. He thought she was powerless, but in reality, she had all the power now.

She pulled her knife from its sheathe again and then swiftly chopped it down onto the rabbit’s neck, severing its spinal column and allowing her to easily rip its head off with a quick twist. Blood pooled on the counter, spilling down onto the floor and she ignored it. 

She was always afraid, always jumping at shadows, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for her captor to come for her and cause her great harm.

He’d promised her pain, lots and lots of pain, and she couldn’t stand tall in the face of such a terrible future. She just didn’t have that kind of strength.

She carefully skinned the rabbit, setting the knife down for a few moments to pull off its hide and set it aside for later.  Fingers smeared with gore, she returned to her task, thoughts elsewhere.

There was nothing she could do to change his mind. Just her luck she had encountered a creature intelligent enough to crave entertainment, but also primal enough to have it be pain at the expense of another.

She broke the rabbit’s hips with audible cracks, and then carefully severed the back legs. They’re full of good meat she’d pare away later.

Would there be a later? What other choice did she have except to take her own life into her own hands, and deny him the pleasure of hearing her scream again?

She laid her fingers down on the wooden counter and took a deep breath before continuing with gutting and preparing the rest of the rabbit.

To think, she’d thought a meagre, simple offering would please something so alien. He probably had enjoyed it too... but not for the reasons she’d hoped.

She dumped the rabbit carcass into the cooler and took the guts outside, tipping them in the hole she’d designated for offal. It stank. 

If she did what she was feeling like doing, if she tried to end her life, what would become of her corpse? Would her bones drift down to the bottom of the lake if she drowned, to only be disturbed by fish and bottom feeders?

She thought about that, about the process of drowning herself, how it would feel, and as she stood, she decided against it. 

She didn’t want to drown. It would be slow and incredibly painful. And even though, at that point she’d be beyond caring, she didn’t like the idea of rotting underwater. She wanted a dry resting place. 

She moved to wipe the rabbit blood off her hands and stopped, looking at her fingers.

She traced her thumb over the back of her hand, feeling the tendons beneath the skin and then turned them over, pressed her fingers to the pulsepoint at her wrist, then followed it up her forearm.

Of course. It was so simple. 
If she was going to take the rabbit metaphor to the grave, she might as well die like one.

She washed her hands in the rain hole, normally for drinking water, but she was leaving and this time, she wouldn’t be returning.

Let the water sicken and spoil. She’d be beyond caring.

She retrieved her knife and tested the edge on her thumb.

A drop of her own blood welled up at the point of the cut, but she didn’t wipe it away.

Her trusty knife had been there for her as long as she’d needed it. She had no doubt it would be there for her when she needed it most.

She’d learned the first day she’d caught one that to bleed a rabbit, you let gravity do most of the work. Whether the subject was dead or alive, gravity was happy to help.
All she’d need to do was sever the arteries in her wrists and gravity would take over, her own heartbeat forcing the blood from her body, giving her the freedom she deserved.

Whether he arrived on scene before or after she was gone, as long as she did it right, there’d be no fixing her. She’d escape this wooded hell and its eldritch denizen.

A small smile played on her lips at the thought, and instead of the apathy that had seeped into her being, she was overcome with a calmness, a peace that quieted her thoughts and her heart.

This was the right decision. Dying on her own terms, the last choice she’d ever make that mattered.
He couldn’t take that from her no matter how hard he tried.

Allie took a walk. Down to the lake, but slowly, savouring the scenery. Lit by the sun’s warmth and light, it was almost magical. She observed the birds waking up, singing their songs to greet the day, the sky overhead a breathtaking pink and gold affair with streaks of orange and purple clouds.

She walked the small gravel path down to the lakeshore and looked across its mirror like surface to the hills and mountains beyond.

Her eye was drawn to the island, memories pulling her back to when she saw him clearly for the first time, and she found her feet walking towards it unbidden.

That was as good a place as any to die, in her opinion. She paused at the edge of the water, looked across the thin bridge of dirt and stone that led to the island and then, step by step, made her way onto the spit of land. It was maybe twenty paces across in all directions and had a copse of trees situated in the middle.

It was very pretty. And peaceful. It was perfect. 

She walked the length of the island, then sat on a flat rock next to the trees and just sat in silence awhile. Contemplating life, the universe, herself... everything.

It was all so fleeting.

Like spring to fall, fall to winter, people lived and died in seasons.

She remembered the man she’d woken up next to, the one who’d apparently brought her to the woods. She hadn’t known his name. She hadn’t known why he’d taken her from her home all the way out here to the middle of a national park. And the man that the monster killed, strung up like some sort of ornament, she hadn’t known him either. What had his story been?

Would anyone know hers?

Slowly, she unsheathed her knife and laid it across her knees, looking at the way the light shone on the metal. It was almost hypnotizing. 

She was glad that she had survived as long as she did. But she was tired, and the alternative was unpleasant. If the monster didn’t drive her insane, she’d perish slowly when winter came. Neither option was at all appealing.

She extended her right arm fully, fingers closing into a fist and picked up the knife in her left, angling it slightly. 

She could feel her heartbeat in her fingers. She’d have to be quick, and she’d have to cut deep.
She inhaled through her teeth, and then brought the blade to her forearm.

The sharp metal sliced easily through her flesh as she jerked it across diagonally, opening her arm as easily like a filet of rabbit meat. Blood poured, and she screamed out, stumbling up from the rock and clutching her arm close to her chest. Of course it hurt, but in a way, the pain gave her a high she’d never experienced before, a euphoric sensation that made her almost giddy. Her fingers still worked, so she shakily transferred the knife to her other hand, raising it up and then swiftly bringing it down again.

She never got the chance to cut her other arm. A black tendril snapped around her wrist and yanked it back, and there was a snarl, and all at once her mind was overcome with the monster’s presence. She hadn’t even noticed he’d arrived.He radiated rage and some other emotion she couldn’t discern, fangs exposed as he loomed over her.

What are you doing?

His voice was crackling with anger and it hurt, and all that calmness went away. She was a rabbit again, and the wolf had found her.

“Let me go! Let me die! Let me die!!!”

She struggled against his grip, blood still continuing to pulse and drip from her wound. He moved his tendril and replaced it with his hand, tightening on her ruined flesh, yanking her arm up.

What is this? You injured yourself. You stupid girl! 

Images of terrible, bloody things were forced in front of her eyes and she struggled harder against him.
His presence pulsed with his emotions, and she cried out again as pain lanced through her mind. Somehow, she tightened her grip on the knife and then she lunged at him, slashing at his chest with it desperately. 

His hiss was surprised, and he shoved her back, sand she stumbled backwards her eyes wild and heart pounding hard. 

She pointed a bloody finger at him, watched him bristle with coming violence as his tendrils writhed like hungry snakes around him.

“I WILL NEVER BE YOUR TOY!” She shouted, clear and strong. The strongest she’d ever been.

He leapt at her, intending to pin her to the ground, subjugate and disarm her but her hands were already moving, grabbing the knife and slamming it blade first into her own belly.
It punched through her skin and into something important and her breath was stolen with the pain. It resonated along their connection and she heard him roar, a sound that was so loud in and out of her head that her thoughts fuzzed to nothing.
His body slammed into her, taking her to the ground. 

The knife was ripped from her belly and her hands, and those tendrils wrapped around her throat and torso, limbs and legs and lifted her into the air, up to his gnashing teeth, that furrowed and snarling face.

What have you done?! He demanded in a voice like thunder.
The images changed, a surreal mix of medical and gore related iconography.

She couldn’t find the breath to speak, so she just weakly smiled. He shook her, her head lolling slightly.

“...f..fuck you.”

It was hard to speak, and she could taste blood, but she managed the words, baring her teeth in opposition to his fangs.

“I won’t l..let you f...fuck with me any longer! Go to hell.”

Her consciousness was fading, and she welcomed it, and he knew she was done for, digging his claws into her skin and into her head to try and keep her awake.

He roared again, wordless images she didn’t care about directed at her. She gathered a mouthful of blood and spat it into his face and the grip his tendrils had on her body tightened until she could no longer breathe, her mind going dark for a moment before coming back. He was still raging.

-on’t you dare! Stupid girl, don’t you—

But she was beyond caring. She was starting to feel numb again. She still hurt but most of the pain had faded. She was free.

Allie laughed breathlessly in the face of death, and slipped into oblivion.

Chapter Text

The small herd of deer browsed the ferns and leaves off the yellowing trees, three adult does and a fawn sticking close together. Ahead of the group, a young buck stood on watch for predators, his ears swivelling at every sound.

The fawn bounced around the adults on its spindly legs, then stopped and lifted its head, turning towards the trees.

Its large, soft ears pricked as the birdsong started to fade out to silence, and then all the deer were looking around, uneasily shifting on their hooves. Something was wrong. 

The fawn saw some tasty branches waving in the air just out of reach and it stepped towards the tree they were growing on. It dipped its head again and again as it moved cautiously closer, waiting for something to happen.

Just as the deerlet reached out to take a bite of the juicy looking green leaves, the predator unfolded. It was a thing armed with curved, sharp fangs dripping black liquid onto the leaves below, a tongue that slithered wetly out of its mouth like a dark snake, and thin lips with dark gums beneath.

 Its limbs were lengthy and it seemed to grow in size even as the fawn tripped over itself trying to back away. A low growl vibrated the air in the clearing and then the monster lunged.

The fawn screamed in terror as the monster attacked, its sharp claws raking the space where it had been seconds before, snapping its jaws at its soft tail before it turned towards the others, frozen in place with watery eyes full of fear.

The young one ran and hid, missing the efficient savagery the creature executed in taking down the entire herd.

It slammed into a doe, its long arms wrapped around her, sharp claws digging in and drawing blood on her sides as she kicked, freed from its mental influence and tried to buck it off. Only one of her blows landed, but then the monster’s teeth closed over her neck and with a crunch of bone, she went limp.

The rest of the herd had already scattered but there was no escape from the long tendrils that shot after them, tangling around their bodies, around their limbs. The monster dragged its still living prey back to it, its jaws tearing chunks of glistening bloody meat from the dead doe in front of it.

It ate without chewing, the meat sliding out of sight down its gullet. One by one, each doe fell to its appetite. One by one, their lives were snuffed out.

It saved the buck for last, crunching his skull while he was still alive, still fighting to get free. 

It left organs and partially stripped carcasses lying obscenely in the grass, the blood draining into the thirsty ground below. It would satiate the worms and crawling things in the dirt, and they would come in their numbers to finish off its work and reduce the herd to clean white bones in only a few months, weeks if any other animal scavenged from its kill.

Satiated, the monster licked its hands and tendrils clean, then its face before getting to its feet. 

The fawn stumbled out of the brush in the heavy silence, its small spotted frame shaking as it called for its mother and wandered over to one of the dead does. Ears drooping, it sniffed at one decapitated head and then let out a noise of dismay as it nosed at the bloody muzzle. 

It was confused, dizzy from the mental attack the monster had inflicted on it to keep it and its family still while it killed them.

The monster didn’t even look at the deerlet as it turned to move smoothly away on all fours. 

The Slenderman slipped through the trees easily, the picture of a pleased predator. 
His tendrils retracted back into his black suit as he prowled through the forest. After a while though, the silence was broken by a quiet little meh! 

Confused and a little surprised, he paused and looked down, his spine contorting to allow for the motion. Between his long limbs was the small fawn, keeping pace with him, a little of its mother’s blood on its nose and cheek. Its ears folded back when it noticed him watching it, its large eyes bringing to mind another creature he’d encountered as of late. A small snarl curled on his lips and he growled to himself at the image of the human. The brief idea that maybe he should kill the fawn passed through his mind, but he disregarded it.
He was full from his hunt; it wouldn’t provide more then a mouthful of flesh to something as voracious as him. If it wanted to follow him, he wouldn’t stop it. His raised lip lowered, face smoothing out again as he resumed walking. And the fawn followed.

The way the birds and insects responded to his proximity was equally as pleasing. Their noises swelled and receded at his approach like a wave, and for some reason, he loved it. The chain reaction as each creature quieted at his approach, and only resumed their activities once he had passed sent strange tingles down the back of his neck and along his shoulders. It was something he looked forward to, every day.

Apart from the occasional fawn call, his walk was uneventful and quiet. The trees only cried out when he wanted them to and they kept their silence otherwise.
He slowed his approach when he arrived at the clearing. 

The forest just stopped, gave way to a circle where nothing but grass grew.

He could remember how he felt when he heard the whirr and growl of machines deep in the trees, heard them chewing up wood and spitting out planks and when he came across the place that was making all that noise, and saw the humans that were squatting in his forest and felling his trees, his anger had been swift and terrible. None of them had survived. He’d torn one man apart, fed another into the wood-chipper they were using and a third had hidden in the truck and tried to escape, and he had ruined the vehicle and dragged the screaming human out of the driver side window. He hadn’t stopped screaming until the monster from his nightmares had bitten his head off.

No trace of the illegal loggers was ever found, he’d made sure of that.

He passed one of the large, rusted logging machines, his mind fresh with the memories, and with a snarl he slammed his shoulder into it and tipped it over. It lay, dead and cold and in pieces, just like the humans who had once operated it.

He turned towards the cabin and continued on his way.

Another ripple of anger passed through him, hot and visceral, images and memories of the previous few weeks flaring hotly in his mind. He was still dealing with humans, even now.

Her face flashed in his mind, those storm grey eyes catching the moonlight the night he’d chased her to this place. 

She was in that cabin, sleeping. She’d been sleeping for so long, and it grated at him how completely her survival relied on him.
He had saved her life at least twice, stopped her from escaping his territory and she had repaid him by trying to kill herself.
If it wasn’t for him and his quick intervention, she would had succeeded too. 

He opened his mouth and snapped his jaws at nothing a few times, frustrated, before starting to walk towards the wooden shack.

 The deer followed, stupid animal. Any prey that went into that place came out bones.

Humans were surprisingly poor hunters. He’d only observed her eating fish and rabbit, despite the abundance of prey that lived in his forest.

The Slenderman arrived in front of the wooden door, and pushed on it lightly and it opened. The fawn broke from its place beneath his left forearm and slipped in through the doorway, ears raised and nose twitching wetly.

The cabin was quiet but cluttered, full of human things that he’d thought would help him keep the human alive. Among them was a first aid kit and an entire container of wet wipes. Bandages and granola bar wrappers littered the counter and the floor was strewn with cans upon cans of human food scattered around the space.

Some of them had been opened, punctured with a sharp claw and their contents carefully fed to the sick human in the bed, and some were untouched. All of the supplies had been scavenged from the summer houses that bordered the far side of his territory, the ones that rich humans kept stocked for summer and winter.

He followed the fawn in, and immediately took up most of the space, hunched over and looming over everything. The fawn sniffed at the cans and then moved to hop up onto the bed, but he let out a warning hiss and it got the message, retreating to the corner and laying down.

He didn’t have the patience for dealing with a sick human and a stupid baby deer, but here he was stuck with both.

With very little room to move, he extended two tendrils from his back to coil forwards and pull the blanket back.

The human in the bed didn’t stir, her breathing soft and weak, dark circles under her eyes. One tendril lightly brushed against her forehead, and he let out a series of irritated clicks in his throat.
She’d been like that for too long. He was getting impatient.

One tentacle slid under her bloody shirt and lifted it, checking on the wound she’d given herself.

Part of him wanted to just end her for causing him so much trouble, but when he moved his hand it wasn’t to wrap around her throat, but carefully trace the bandages. The wound on her arm had healed enough that he wasn’t worried about it, but she had been foolish enough to stab indiscriminately, and unlucky enough to have hit some vital things.

Her recovery would be slow and painful, if she recovered fully at all.
There was every chance she’d be haunted by that wound till her dying day.

The bandages were wrapped around her abdomen and sealed in place with his own saliva. He peeled them back one by one, a low growl in his throat as he beheld the wound. It wasn’t bleeding thanks to his quick work, but the flesh around it was red and inflamed, and he could detect an odour. It was sickening.

There was nothing further he could do but wait now, wait and keep feeding her scraps of meat and canned human food and water. But by all things eldritch, he hated waiting.

The fawn, now laying beside the bed, looked up at him and meh’ed softly. He didn’t answer it. He wouldn’t debase himself to speak to a deer. 

He was still angry he had to debase himself enough to speak to her.

He’d watched her for a long time, watched her try and fail and try and fail over and over, to the point where he wondered if she was suffering from brainrot. No matter what the grey eyed human girl failed at, she always picked herself up again. Even with him, with her.... attempts at gaining his favour. 

His ire hadn’t stopped her. She kept fighting. 

He turned his head back to look at her, so weak and helpless in that bed. He moved his hand from the wound and up over her face without touching her. Her skin radiated heat. He didn’t know when the fever had started, but that didn’t matter.

If she didn’t fight to live, she wouldn’t survive, and he’d have to find some way to bring her back so he could punish her. After all the work he’d done to keep her breathing, if she threw it all away he’d become truly angry.

He carefully replaced the bandages and the blanket and then he left the cabin, closing the door on the fawn and ...his human.

It was early morning, the air was cold and brisk, and he woke out of a deep, dreamless sleep, rising from his nest and turning his face towards the large, gashing opening in the building he’d made his nest. He’d felt something. Nothing too big, nothing too loud, but he’d heard it in his own way.

She had called to him. Weak and unsure, her mind reached out for a reprieve from the darkness, for something, anything to hold onto.

He left his nest and then stood tall, his body flickering and humming with power. In an instant he was outside her cabin. It was still dark, but he could hear her breaths quickened in her sleep, restless in her fever.

He peered in through the back window, then moved around to the front of the small shack to look through the front.

He could easily soothe her, but would he?

She was just a human. If she died, he could replace her. Maybe with a male next time.
What was one insignificant life in the face of a god?

He swayed between letting nature take its inevitable course and stepping in.

She’d been a thorn in his side since she’d realized he wasn’t a mindless beast, did he really want to keep her?

Why would he expend even more effort to keep this simple human alive?

She was different.

The words came to him without his requesting them and he dismissed them without taking a breath. She was not different, she was just an outlier in her breed.

Humans didn’t lean towards possessing psychic abilities, he knew that. That the one he’d found in his territory did was an interesting anecdote but nothing more. When she died, and she would die if he left her to it— she would take her oddity with her.

She’d wanted to die, hadn’t she? She’d craved the nothingness beyond the void. He should let her go gentle in that good night and be rid of her.

If not, at the very least, he should make her a thrall. Dig his claws into her mind and force her to obey, turn her into another empty servant that did his will beyond his territory. But he didn’t want to. Something about that idea repulsed him. He could imagine what she’d look like, grey eyes dull, face slackened.

She’d lose so much that made her interesting, if he broke her the way a spoiled human child broke its toys.

No.

He edged towards the door. 

She was entertainment, if nothing else. Hardy, resilient. Resourceful. She’d lose everything that made her so if he turned her into his thrall.

His hand pressed to the wooden door, long fingers splaying over the frame. The fawn was still in there, he could smell it. Maybe he would kill it and feed it to her. His human experiment.

Yes, that was the word for it. He didn’t know much about human culture, but he knew the emotions he felt could be equated to fascination. Curiosity. Maybe a little possession. After all the time and effort he’d put into her without her even aware of it, she damn well belonged to him.

The human curse felt strange to him, but fitting.

Damn girl.

He heard her moan softly, a sound of pain and of helpless, unconscious plea. He ground his teeth together a little and then pushed the door open.

What now?

What did she want from him? He moved into the space, full of more empty cans then sealed ones now. 

He could do nothing to heal her injured insides. He’d done all he could with the supplies he had. 

He found his lip curling as he observed her shift and squirm beneath the blanket. She moaned again, this time a word and it drew him closer.

What did she say? Mom.

His mind picked over the word a while before he found an acceptable explanation. The image of a brown haired woman he’d found in her mind. She wanted her mother? It was such a human thing to want. She sought comfort. 

He tipped his head to the side and didn’t move, watched her uninjured fingers twitch overtop of the thin fabric and let out a low rumble in his throat before lifting his hand.
Soothe. He could do that at least.
As infuriating as she was, as irritating and consternating and baffling as she was, she had impressed him with her strength.

He was not above rewarding his human thralls for arousing his interest in such things, and felt that he should extend the same courtesy to his experiment.

He pulled his hand back, extending a tendril instead, slipping it beneath her twitching fingers, warm and smooth under her palm. 

As expected, she closed her hand over it and held on, and he had to fight the urge to pull away. Touch, he decided with a huff of breath, would only be tolerated when necessary. 

Her restlessness slowly ceased, but her mind was still reaching, he could sense it looking for something to hold onto and he refused to be that thing. 

No, he would not be swayed enough to connect with her and smother her fragmented mind. She would just need to deal with this on her own.

He moved to pull his tendril from her grip, intending to leave the cabin and return to the forest, but she tightened her grip and then somehow, she reached him on her own.

Her lips mumbled something incomprehensible but her thoughts, while fuzzy and disjointed and wracked by the fever and infection came through to him.

Hurts.

He didn’t respond, waiting for her to slip back out of lucidity and let him go.

She didn’t, her weak consciousness moving slowly, sluggishly around his much vaster presence, feeling out his frequencies like a blind woman reading braille.

She was asleep, and she was strong enough to force a connection even while sick and bedridden. 
She wasn’t conscious, not really. She didn’t know what she was doing.
That was truly impressive.
It prompted him to communicate.

What are you?

It wasn’t a question he needed answered, he knew she was human. She smelled human. She acted like one and her mind was just as primitive as the next unlucky soul to find themselves in his domain.

But she answered it, as simply and stupidly as only a human could.

I don’t know.

It was almost amusing.

You are a human. You are beneath me. You are incredibly aggravating. I don’t know why I keep you. You are not special.

Her thoughts were muddled, slipping slightly from her awareness. 

Sorry.

That was curious. He let his confusion leak across their connection. Why was she sorry?

She took more time to formulate an answer. It was akin to speaking with a sleep talker. She wasn’t going to remember any of this.

‘M sorry ‘m such a problem.

  Outside of his head, he frowned, mouth appearing in a thin line. 

That is enough, he thought, and then did the mental equivalent of placing a hand over her mouth to silence her.

He let his presence wash over hers, subduing it, guiding her mind back to peaceful slumber. She didn’t struggle, the connection breaking without another peep, and he continued to exude his influence over her, slipping a little into the inner workings of her brain to dull the pain and restless thoughts she was feeling.

Then he withdrew, found the fawn licking his hand. He hissed at it with displeasure, and when he took his tendril back from the girl, she let him, her mind calmed for now.

He moved through the waking forest, felt the sun stream down over his back. He refrained from extending his senses back towards her, to make sure she really was asleep again. 

His foot cracked a branch beneath and it drew him from his thoughts. What was with that human girl?

Why had she reached out to him?

He went over her memories, each one flashing in his mind, colours swirling and impressions powerful. 

He felt the emotions attached to them from a distance.

But nothing told him why, when she should have feared him, she defied him instead. Why, when she was sick and slowly dying, she reached for him.

His footsteps brought him to the lake, to the island, where he almost...lost her.

He’d known something was up, he’d sensed her distress when she cut herself, and then...

Slowly he crouched next to the log where he’d watched her lifeblood leak like a river from her body.

The ground was still stained dark red, though the earth had swallowed most of the blood, soaked it up with delight. It would have fed on her body too, had he let her go through with her plan.

She’d thought to die rather then deal with being his. His experiment, his toy. 

His hand laid against the ground and then his pale claws dug into the soil and he lifted a handful of dirt from its place, felt it crumbling through his fingers.

He’d almost lost her. She’d been willing to extinguish her own existence rather then deal with his cruel games and he didn’t understand why it bothered him so much.

He didn’t understand it. What made her different then the others, beyond her telepathic capabilities? Her determination to end herself, while notable, wasn’t new. Plenty of humans had turned their weapons on themselves, faced with his overwhelming presence. They found the strength to snuff themselves out, rather then deal with the horrors he could inflict.

So what was it?

He took a seat on the log and stared out of the water for a long, long time, and couldn’t formulate the answer.

The sun rose and fell several times before he thought about her again. He hadn’t woken to her voice again, and as things went, she slipped out of his thoughts as he dealt with others that required his attention.

There were less campers but humans still found themselves in his clutches, providing good and bloody entertainment for a while, enough that he could lose himself in the act of killing them, one by one bathing his fingers in their life blood before consuming them.

Despite all their negative aspects, humans were tasty snacks.

Then one day it occurred to him to go check on his human, the one he was cultivating for reasons he still didn’t understand, and the moment the thought crossed his mind he was there, in front of the cabin.

He approached slowly, reaching out his senses. The cabin was quiet and still, and he could sense no spark of life inside.

Something inside him twisted, but before he could turn his attention to the sensation, he heard footsteps coming his way. Halting and shaky, and accompanied by laboured breathing, he crept back under the cover of the trees where he couldn’t be seen to wait.

There’s a telltale meh! And then the fawn comes out of the trees on the opposite side of the clearcut space, moving slowly as his human leaned against her, using her to move.

That tightness inside him released, and he just watched the girl and the deer make their way back to the cabin.

He almost wanted to make his presence known, but instead he waited until the cabin door closed behind them and then disappeared from sight.

Chapter Text

Allie surfaced from the murk of sleep against her will and opened her eyes. She stared up at the slanted wooden ceiling and then blinked the last vestiges of her dreams away.
Her chest expanded evenly, then sank back down as she laid in her bed, the blanket drawn up to her chin to ward away the chill in the cabin.
She could hear birds singing beyond the sturdy walls and see light streaming through the window nearest to her.
Another day had come, then.
She hadn’t died in her sleep like she’d hoped.

Allie let out a soft sigh through her nose and then carefully pulled the blankets back, her exposed skin contracting and goose-pimpling in the colder cabin air.
The moment she moved, there was a sleepy ‘neh’ from the floor beside the bed and the baby deer she’d somehow acquired when she was at death’s door raised its head and snuffled in her direction, ears pricking and dark eyes soft.
She didn’t look at it, too focused on getting to her feet without pain.
The wound on her belly was sealed over and bandaged. She’d woken up to it that first day like that and had done her best to keep it that way, but it still hurt. She couldn’t twist or bend over very far; and sleeping on her side was impossible.
Every day was an agony, and not just because of the pain.

Allie caught sight of the place where she’d kept track of the days on her wall and realized she didn’t know what day it was, or how many days had passed since her failed suicide attempt and subsequent recovery.
Thinking about it, about the amount of time she must have lost, it only made her mood sink further. She turned away, towards the door instead. There was no doubt about it.
She’d damned herself.

The monster had made sure she survived, out of spite maybe. She didn’t blame him, it was out of spite she’d tried to end her life in the first place.
Her knife was gone, and she just knew she’d never see it again. He’d taken it from her, as punishment, perhaps?
She didn’t know. All she knew was that hunting, fishing and foraging was slow and inefficient now. She was hindered by her wound and without her knife she’d had to fashion new tools, which took up valuable time and energy.
For every day she ate, there was another where she went hungry.
A great start for someone scrambling to reap the last of the summer’s bounty before everything became scarcer as winter approached.

Allie limped carefully to the door and pulled it open, looking out at the trees bathed in the late morning sun. She’d slept in again. Whatever, she didn’t care.
She adjusted her jacket, zipping it up slowly over her long-sleeved shirt and prepared to brave the day.

She was wearing new clothes when she woke up, roughly any time between two to four weeks ago, and she just knew he had done it.
He’d patched her up and somehow kept her alive, fed and watered and dressed her too, and while she shuddered at the thought of those long fingered clawed hands on her bare skin, she didn’t complain.
Her old clothes she’d found dumped in a hole full of old rabbit bones behind the cabin, crawling with bugs and other filth, and even she wasn’t spiteful enough to pull them from it.

The clothes she wore now were softer, warmer and clean. They smelled unfamiliar but pleasant, as if the person who’d owned them wore perfume or scented body wash. They were also close enough to her size that they were comfortable.

Allie stepped down from the doorframe and almost stumbled, and then she felt a cool wetness on her elbow and looked back. The deer’s nose. It gave her a little nudge and then walked up beside her, allowing her to rest her hand against its spotted spine, fur coarse and soft at the same time. Allie murmured a soft thanks to it and received a flicking ear in response. Together they headed across the clearing and into the trees. Allie curled her fingers in its fur and carefully they navigated the forest to the spot where she’d laid her snares. All of them were empty and one of them was broken, so she took it down.
After she’d salvaged all she could she sat down on a fallen log with a slight wince, then clicked her tongue and the fawn came to her, chewing placidly on some yellow leaves. Fall had crept up on her while she was weak and ill, and now she was scrambling to catch up.

She ran her hand over the fawn’s frame. It was thin but not underfed, and she knew it could take care of itself as long as she opened the door and let it out every morning. She’d seen it eat a bird.

She didn’t know why it wanted to stay with her. She didn’t know why she allowed it to, but it was more of a help then a hindrance, and as long as it stayed that way, she didn’t mind the company.
There were far worse companions out there, after all.
She found her eyes drawn to the forest around them both, wondering if he was out there somewhere, what he was doing, and why he’d put so much effort into keeping her alive.
Feeding her, clothing her, giving her water and keeping her warm... he even gave her a pet. He had to be furious with her for her stunt...but he’d taken the time to nurse her back to health. She remembered all the empty cans she’d had to bury. He must have hand fed her.

Maybe a normal person would see all this as a good thing, that she’d somehow tapped into some hidden mercy, but she knew it wasn’t as simple as that.
He wanted her alive, and so she’d lived. But why? To what end?
She wished she knew what it was, but in the same breath prayed she’d never find out.
Her eyes strayed to the fawn again, watched it snuffling around the mushrooms on the trees and she frowned.
It was a gift, and she was deeply unsettled by it.
There was every chance that if she grew attached to the fawn, one day he would slaughter it and leave her to stumble upon its mangled, savaged corpse. It was just another way to break her and she knew it.

“I should eat you, you know.” She told it, and it ignored her, nibbling bites off the fungi it was so engrossed in.
“I should kill you and store your meat, maybe use your skin as an extra blanket and your hooves for glue. I don’t know how to make glue though. Do you?”

As expected, the fawn said nothing.
“I won’t kill you, don’t worry,” she reassured. “I’m already halfway done training you. Eating you would be a waste.”

She watched the animal eating and then lifted her hand to her mouth. With two fingers in her mouth, she whistled, sharp and shrill and the fawn startled, its ears flying upright. Within seconds, it bolted away into the trees.
So far so good.
Allie had started whistle training the deer three days after she’d woken up to find her place a mess and full of flies and cans of old food.
There had been rabbit bones in the corner, only a few; but it still took her a whole day to get the cabin clean again.
The monster had left behind several unmarked cans full of food that she’d placed in the cupboards and a first aid kit only missing some supplies, like scissors. She was sure that was deliberate, but discovering it there had been something to celebrate, so she didn’t mind.
While she had been cleaning, she’d noticed the deer watching her. Allie had paid it no mind until she caught it eating berries she’d foraged off the counter, at which point she’d swore and whistled loudly at it to get it to stop.
It had panicked and ran out of the cabin, and had only been enticed back by the offer of food.
Thus an idea had formed in her mind. Over the next few days, she’d started trying to associate food with certain sounds.
It had worked, well enough that she could coax the deer to come to her with a certain pitch, and send it running with another. It liked to be beside her most days, because when she went foraging, even if she found nothing for herself, there was plenty for a cervidae to eat, and Allie required a little extra help moving from A to B. They worked together.

Allie looked towards the place the fawn had run away and wet her lips before whistling again, a softer, longer note.
At first, there’s nothing, and then the deer came back, its head down towards the ground and scanning for danger.
Allie scraped some moss off the tree trunk she was sitting on and offered it out.
“It's all right. There’s no danger, I was just keeping you on your toes.”
The fawn’s ears lifted and its nose wiggled as it came forward, taking the moss from her hand and moving back to eat it.
“Good girl....or boy. I have no idea what you are. Good deer.”

When she was done sitting, she put out a hand, and the fawn put its muzzle into her fingers, licking them. She ran her hand down its soft face and neck, then carefully steadied herself as she stood with a groan.
“Okay, ow... I need to...mmn....soak.”
She starts walking and the deer walks with her, almost leaning on her side. “Hey, careful. I really don’t want to fall over,” she laughs. “I don’t think I could get back up again.”

Allie led the fawn towards the lake. By the time they reached it, the sun was high and the morning chill was gone.
On the shore, she looked towards the sparkling water and then stepped away from her living crutch. The fawn picked its way down to the water’s edge to drink.
“Oh boy,” Allie said softly, unzipping her jacket and pulling it off. “What I wouldn’t give for some hot water right about now.”
She stripped carefully, almost toppling over when she tried to take her pants off, but then she limped into the water and yelped.
“Goddamn!”
As she’d expected, the water was cold. But she braved it, arms over her chest and shivering as she waded deeper into the water.
The sun was beaming directly down, and even though her wound stung upon first contact, the water had a pleasant numbing effect.
Allie swam around a while, exercising her muscles and enjoying her bath, and then the fawn brayed on shore and there was a large splash as it leapt into the lake and started swimming towards her, its head raised above the water.
It made her laugh. “I guess you don’t want to be too far from your mama, huh?”

Allie played in the lake with the fawn for several hours, and then fished in the nude for several more. Luck was on her side and she caught several lake whitefish and even a pike. Its expression when she pulled it off her spear was just as surprised as her own. A fish that size would feed her for at least a week.

Behind her in the forest, the trees swayed with a quiet breeze, the forest silent except for a hawk calling far overhead.
The Slenderman watched her pale, unclothed form as she dove back into the water after another potential meal and then he was gone.

Allie dried off and then dressed herself, feeling better then she had in weeks. She used her jacket as a basket to carry the whitefish in; four in total, plus the pike. It would smell weird for a while, but she didn’t care. She had food. She had a good swim, it had been a nice day and she’d enjoyed every moment of it.
When the sun went down she built a fire in her camp and roasted two of the whitefish whole, while smoking the rest.
She ate well, but rationed herself. There’d be more hard days ahead, certainly.
The fawn sat beside her, seemingly unafraid of the flickering flames, and ‘neh’ed quietly again. Allie offered it a piece of cooked fish to see if it would take it, but it sniffed it, then just looked at her in an offended way that made her laugh again.
They sat there till the fire grew low, underneath the bright and endless expanse of stars, and only when the fawn fell asleep with its head in her lap did Allie decide to head inside.

A cloud passed over the moon and the light inside the cabin went out, all its occupants at rest.

The Slenderman walked slowly through the clearing, silent as a ghost. He paused at the smoking embers of the fire and extended a tendril to poke around the bones of the fish that Allie had eaten before he continued on his way.
He passed in front of the cabin but then bent to peer into the window.
Allie was asleep, dreaming no doubt, and the fawn was curled up at the end of the bed like a dog.
If he had any thoughts on the matter, he kept them to himself, and merged back between the trees, soon becoming only a glint of moonlight on shadowed bark.

Chapter Text

There was no denying it, fall had truly settled on the forest. The trees were resplendent in rich reds, fiery oranges, and bright golds. The leaves fell like majestic rain every time a breeze blew through the trunks. 

Every day the wind blew colder and every night the temperature dropped another few degrees.

Allie was recovering, slowly but surely she was growing stronger, and the fawn was just growing. It had started out being barely higher then her elbow and bulked up enough that it could lick and nibble at the back of her long hair, which it would any time it wanted attention.

That hurt, and Allie was always quick to reprimand it, but she wasn’t sure it was doing any good. She should have also given the animal a name, but she never could think of a good one.

“What do you think?” Allie asked, watching the deer nose at the mushrooms at the base of the tree trunk. “Think its edible?”

As an answer, the fawn just bit down and tore off a piece from one of the brown fungal caps, chewing placidly.

After a moment, Allie nodded. “Well, you’re not dead yet, so that’s a good sign. Budge over.”

She scooted the deer back and started picking the mushrooms and putting them into her jacket. The deer ‘neh’ed at her in an unimpressed way and wandered off to go eat something else.

“Look,” Allie said, straightening with a groan. “If you show me the food, we both eat. This is a mutual partnership and I’m not so sure you’re all that grateful that I haven’t eaten you yet.”

She followed the fawn deeper into the woods, keeping her eyes open for reachable squirrel holes and the nuts they’d contain.

The summer feasts she had indulged in, before she had injured herself, were just a distant memory. Meals of berries, nuts, fat fish and rabbits... what she’d give to have her knife back. The rabbits were plentiful still but they kept evading her snares and traps. They’d learned, and so she was out of luck.

“You’d think the young rabbits wouldn’t know any better but my god, it's like they have some sort of… cultural memory or something.”

Her grousing didn’t seem to bother her cervine companion in the slightest. It nibbled at tree bark, the last of the green leaves, and anything else it could find before picking up the scent of berries.

Allie looked up in time to see the fawn darting away up the ridge on its still spindly legs and she gave a surprised shout and followed it. “H-Hey, wait up!”
When she finally reached the top, huffing and puffing in the fresh air, her insides ached they way they did whenever she over exerted herself. 

“Damn deer, ow, ow...”

But then she saw the line of bushes laden with fall blackberries and her mouth started watering. The fawn was already partaking of the bounty and Allie limped to join it. “Good work,” she said, patting its hindquarters and then crouching to stuff her jacket pockets full of dark, juicy berries. A treat for sure.

She was so busy with her task she didn’t notice when the fawn’s ears pricked up suddenly. 
It walked a little closer to another bush and then froze, its eyes going wide. It stumbled back and let out a panicked bleat of fear.
There was a deep grunting, and then a growl. Allie cussed and leapt back from the bush as a bear stood up on its hind legs behind it.

The beast was big, taller then she was and ten times more powerful. She swore under her breath, left hand darting to her side, but there was no knife there. Swearing again, she noticed the bear’s head turn to look at her fawn friend, who was frozen to the spot, head down and ears back. She could see the bear’s scarred broad muzzle wrinkle, taking in the scent of fresh prey, its black nose huffing both their scents.

It growled again, the muscles rippling beneath its shaggy brown coat. Its massive paws had long, curved claws.

Allie didn’t think, she just acted, put her fingers stained with berry juice into her mouth and whistled, loud and sharp and shrill. 

The fawn bolted from its place and the bear crashed back onto its paws to give chase, but the fleet footed deerling was gone in a flash.

The bear opened its jaws and roared after it, then as if remembering that there were two interlopers into its territory, it turned to face her.

Its eyes were such a dark brown they seemed black, and she saw no mercy in them as it bared its fangs and charged her.

She ran, turned on her heel and sprinted away, back down the ridge as fast as she could. Her momentum almost took her off her feet, but in the end it was the bear that knocked her down.

Halfway to the bottom of the ridge it collided with her back and sent her rolling. She cried out in pain and when she came to a stop she was disoriented and dizzy, but there was no time for her to escape before the bear, which had to be a grizzly, was on her. Its jaws tried closing on her neck, but she smacked its nose with the heel of her palm and rolled onto her stomach to try and scramble away.
The bear grabbed the hood of her jacket and jerked her back, shaking its massive head as it tossed her around like nothing more than deadweight. She fought to get free of the clothing, her arms slipping through the sleeves and all the food she’d collected spilling out over the forest floor. There was no time to mourn the loss, because she was too busy trying to get away. It saw her get up and slammed into her again, its paw landing on her back and the claws digging in and ripping downwards, through shirt and skin.

Allie screamed, pain and fear mixing in a maelstrom of sensations. Her mind processed things in flashes; hot rancid breath on her skin, bear drool in her hair, the overpowering scent of fallen leaves on the ground. 

Its jaws closed around one of her arms and she cried out as it bit down, teeth sharp enough and powerful enough to break the bone. More shrieks left her throat.

She was going to die. She’d fought so hard to gain mastery over her own fate, and then to live despite it, and she wasn’t even going to die at the hands of the monster that tormented her? No, she was going to die at the jaws of an ordinary forest bear.

Like hell she was!

The thought enraged her, and when it flipped her over again and bit down on her shoulder she screamed again but then bit back. She got one of the bears ears in her mouth and yanked, the fur quickly matting with gamey, hot bear blood. The beast bellowed and shook her off and then it opened its jaws and she saw its red stained teeth and without thinking about it, she reached out mentally.

Faced with her own gruesome end, she called to him.

Help me!! Please!

Allie threw up her hands to shield her face from the crushing jaws but then there was another, louder roar that shook the clearing and something bigger then the bear slammed into its side and took it off its feet.

She shrieked again and then saw her monster, blank face contorted with fury, a dozen or so tendrils writhing around him like snakes as he slammed his shoulder into the bear again and drove it to the ground.

The impact shook the earth and Allie quickly staggered upright, stumbled once and then half limped, half ran to the relative safety of a tree. She hid behind it, her heart thundering in her chest as the sounds of vicious animal roars and battle filled the air.
Her wounds hurt but she shoved the pain to the back of her mind and peeked around the tree trunk. What she saw stole her breath.

The bear was huge, and compared to her monster, it was even more apparent that if he hadn’t come to defend her, she’d be dead.

The bear was on its hind legs, clawing and biting and the monster’s tendrils were wrapped around its body, squeezing and his claws were shredding into the bears sides. They were almost the same size and that blew her mind.

The bear went in for a bite and the monster roared in pain, then head butted the animal and threw it to the ground with its tendrils. They wrestled, bloodying the stones and plants beneath them with a steady rain of red as they sank claw and fang into each other. Bones broke. Teeth were lost. Fur flew and the air was full of snarling.

The bear had expected an easy meal and it had found a mortal battle.
Allie could tell the animal was weakening, no longer fighting for dominance but for its very life. 

The monster slammed its head to the ground again and again, and once it was stunned, went in for the kill. She saw him lunge downwards, jaws impossibly wide and closing over the bear’s neck. It bellowed in pain and then there was a wet crack and a snapping sound as her monster whipped its head from side to side and broke its spine.

Blood pooled on the ground out of the bear’s mouth and the entity let its head drop hard onto the earth with finality.

Allie had no words, no thoughts. She just watched, terrified and in absolute awe as the monster stood, gore smeared hands splayed at either side of his body, dripping blood. He tipped his head back and roared his victory.

She cried out and clutched her head with one hand as pain blossomed behind her eyes from the way it reverberated mentally in her head, and then the roar was echoing into the hills and the pain was gone, leaving only her frantic pulsing heartbeat in her ears.

Holy fuck.

She must have made a noise because the monster’s head twisted towards her, fangs still bared; still feral, still dangerous.

Allie got to her feet and stepped painfully out into full view, her body hunched slightly, clutching her broken arm to her chest. She knew she was a sight, with dirt and leaves in her hair, blood and drool and crushed berries soaking into her clothes. She just stood there, watching him with her chest heaving from the pain and the adrenaline coursing through her veins. 

She could see that even a creature like him couldn’t escape being wounded in such a bloody fight. His clothes were torn in places, ripped up and revealing bloodied white flesh beneath. It made the breath catch in her throat.

Allie took a single step towards him, and saw his tendrils bristle, the snarl on his face and in his throat deepen. She held up her good hand and stopped, then reached out with her mind at the same time.
She hit a mental wall of anger that made her gasp. A dull throbbing pain started in her head, but she persisted, trying to find a way past it.

The monster gnashed and snapped his teeth at her, warning her without words. She didn’t think he was capable of words at that moment.
He crouched down, animalistically over his kill and dark red blood dripped to the ground. His blood. 

Allie tried again, not knowing what she needed to say to get him to calm down. She poked and prodded the wall, trying to encourage him to reach back, and she half succeeded.

A cry left her throat as his mental claws sank into her mind and she was overcome with pain and rage, so much rage. So much raw, incandescent fury it almost swept her off her feet. It was a howling storm of emotion and she was utterly lost in its power.

Her vision swam, and she realized she was on her knees, one hand digging into the bloody earth.
She struggled to keep herself cognizant of her own presence, and not be dragged under his.

He was so angry. In pain and running on baser instincts. Predatory instincts. She could feel the possessive nature of that anger. He was mad at the bear for daring to touch what was his. He was mad at her too, but she couldn’t glean why. He wouldn’t let her see why.

She struggled, struggled, and then lifted her head.

“I-I.... I’m-m...Okay...”

She threw the words out there into the storm of inhuman thoughts and felt the intensity calm just a little.

She reached out a hand, palm facing out, eyes cast to the ground.

She heard him shift on his feet, and his growl rumbled his chest.

“Its okay...” Allie murmured lowly. “You’re okay. I’m... I’m okay. Its okay.”

Amazingly, her soothing tactics seemed to work.

The creases on his face faded, his lips slid back down to cover his gums and his fangs, though he kept his mouth slightly open to convey his displeasure.

 When she looked up next, he was looming over her, his shadow cast over her entire body as she stared up at him.
She had to remember to breathe.

“Its... Its okay,” she tried again, but in answer he extended his long arm and she yelped as he wrapped his claws around her middle and closed them, lifting her bodily off the ground.

“O-Okay, Okay! This... this is—Ahh!“

She floundered, trying to find something to hold onto as he fluidly stood, and suddenly she was so much higher off the ground then she had been. “Oh fuck, okay! I don’t k-know what you’re doing, please, please put me down!!”

He didn’t listen to her. His head tipped back and he looked at the blue sky and Allie looked around at the multicolored trees in a panic. They were there, 

And then they were not.

Her insides twisted violently as the world suddenly inverted. Up was down. In was out. Nothing made sense, and then there was a splash and she was dropped into cold water. The shock made her body spasm.

She let out a cry that was filled with lake water and she sputtered to the surface.
The water was almost too cold and her injuries screamed at her as she splashed about trying to figure out what the hell was happening.
The tall shadow fell over her again and she remembered she wasn’t alone.

Turning, her hair plastered to her face and eyes wide, she looked up at him.

He didn’t move, halfway submerged in the lake as well. The water was tinged with spirals of red, blood still leaking through the rips in his skin.

Allie’s feet found the lake bottom and she stopped freaking out.
The water, cold and wet and unpleasant as it was, had sapped her warmth and turned the pain in her back and shoulder and arm into a dull throb.

She noticed that his tendrils were gone, disappeared back into his body. But the wounds remained.

“You’re hurt,” she said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

He lifted a pale hand and pressed it to his chest. It came away bloody. His mouth opened and he flicked out his tongue to lick his palm clean.

Allie bit her lip.

He had saved her life. Again. The first time, she’d been resentful, but now?

“...Thank you.”

Her voice was small, but he didn’t react physically to it. 

So instead, she reached out mentally and tried to convey her gratitude. His head snapped up and he curled one side of his lip, revealing teeth.

Stupid.

That single word, drilled right into her mind, the same deep growl as the one he made with his mouth... It made her laugh.

He was right. She had been stupid. She should have realized that the berry bushes would have attracted a bear, but she’d been so caught up in the promise of a full belly, and it had almost cost her her life.

I’m sorry, she replied. You’re hurt, she repeated. Because of me. Because I was stupid.

Stupid, he agreed, licking his hand again. Stupid human. You’re lucky I came to your aid.

Yes, she admitted. I am. Thank you.
Allie tried to smile, and the muscles in her face felt strange pulling that way in his presence. 

He growled again, shaking his head a little. 
Stop that. Stop what you’re doing. This changes nothing. You are nothing to me.

The smile vanished, and instead she frowned. 

You saved my life when I...”
...Tried to kill myself. 
But she couldn’t finish the thought out loud. An image of her knife came to her mind and he let out a sound similar to a snort. His voice was deep and vicious.

You thought you were in control. You will never be. I alone hold your life in my hands, the sooner you accept that the happier your insignificant mind will be.

Again she frowned.
You saved my life twice... why? What do you need me for?

His fangs bared more fully, expression twisting.
I do not need you, human. I find your struggles entertaining. Something to pass the time with. You are a joke to me, nothing more.

His words were harsh and she took the brunt of them without comment.
But something was off, and she could feel it.

And yet you fought a bear. For me, to save me?

He snarled, face scrunching up in anger again. 

You presume far too much human. I don’t like other predators in my territory. I did not fight for you.

His tone made it clear that he would have let her die otherwise, had he not had a stake in fighting, but she could still feel that something...didn’t fit. He kept contradicting himself. 

Allie found her own brows furrowing as she tried to understand. 
I have a name, you know.

His lip curled more. His tone was dangerous, a warning.

I don’t care.

She frowned again and then pointed a finger out of the water up at him. He didn’t seem at all impressed.

I don’t know what you want with me, she continued. But you’re clearly intelligent enough to speak and also to save my life twice so I’m going to assume you’re smart enough to know what courtesy is. I have a name. I’m sick of you calling me ‘human’ like its some kind of curse-word.

He opened his mouth and hissed at her, but somehow, she didn’t flinch. 

My name is Allie, she enunciated. Stop calling me ‘human’ and use my fucking name!

Allie yelped as a wave of cold water soaked her head again and then she yelped again because he’d gotten so close to her, fangs still tinted red. His mental voice trembled, as if he was holding himself back from ripping her apart right then and there. It brought pain with it, a stabbing, psychic attack that she gritted her teeth and tried to weather as he raged at her. 

I owe you nothing, human!! In fact, it appears that you owe me. 

Allie was frozen as his words branded themselves on her consciousness, but then she tipped her head up. She did owe him, but he still laid claim over her life, like she was nothing but cattle. The thought came through as the pain subsided, that she wasn’t going to lie down and take that kind of abuse anymore. Her tone held unbridled annoyance and she could tell it pissed him off.

Okay, fine! What the fuck do you want from me then?

His snarl never wavered. 

For you to stop asking so many fucking questions!

He threw the human curse back at her and in his powerful voice it came across so much clearer.

Allie bristled. She realized she was going toe to toe with a literal monster, but she didn’t care. 
No.

He grabbed her head and she cried out in shock as he submerged her under the water and held her there as she thrashed. His voice echoed in her mind, loud and clear beneath the surface.

Stupid, foolish human. I call the shots here, not you!

He let go and she exploded out of the water, coughing.
When she could finally breathe again she swam backwards, putting some distance between him and herself.

“Fine!” she said again, out loud because she wanted to shout. There really wasn’t any way she’d be able to argue with him and testing his patience any further truly would be a stupid thing to do. But looking up at him, she knew something between them, for good or bad, had changed. He was actually talking to her. Conversing. 

You said... you said you used me to pass the time, she said cautiously. Why would you need to pass the time? This is your... your forest. You have to have better time wasters in your territory then me.

An emotion filtered through their link. Annoyance, and ...something else. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

He growled again at her. 

You think this tiny insult of a park is the expanse of my territory, human? My territory spans the length and breadth of this planet! My forest is so vast and so wild you’d die upon setting a single foot into it. Stupid, ignorant human!

Allie...hadn’t expected him to be so...offended by her question. It honestly shocked her.

If your home is so damn great why don’t you go back to it then? Why spend your days tormenting a stupid, ignorant human?

Mocking him was clearly the wrong choice.
His roar made her body jerk back. He followed her, moving easily through the water to close the distance.a
His jaws leaked black liquid down his chin, something she’d never seen before. It was terrifying.

I thought, he seethed, I told you to stop asking questions.

Allie found her body cringing away from him and was unable to stop it.

Something flashed in her mind, an image of a weathered wooden door, grand in design with intricate detailing and what looked like an iron handle. It was there, seared into her thoughts, and then it was gone.

She knew he was beyond angry with her, but she had to ask.

Wh-what was that?

He sent a static sound crackling through her thoughts and making spots appear in front of her eyes.

A Doorway.

The way he said the word, the way he stressed it made it abundantly clear to Allie that it wasn’t an ordinary door.

What’s a—

But he snapped his jaws and cut her off. 

Enough! I tire of this and of you.

She wanted to protest, but then he was grabbing and lifting her out of the water again, and she clung onto his hand in surprise. Compared to the water, his skin was incredibly warm.

“H-Hey! You can’t just—-grab someone like that—!”

He waded through the water and then dropped her onto the pebbled shore. She hit the ground with a grunt and glared up at him.

“You’re a grade A jerk, you know that? I don’t care if you want to keep me here to be your plaything, you clearly know right from wrong and if you’re going to force me to live here I demand that you at least treat me with dignity!”

He turned his head to look at her, and she swore, for a split second his pale lips curved into a smile.

She stood there, dripping wet and chilled by the breeze as he stood back up and began to walk away.

“Where are you g-going?”

Really she should have left well enough alone. They weren’t friends. They weren’t equals. She was a prisoner, and he, her sadistic warden. But something urged her on.

“You’re still hurt...”

He paused, turned back to her.

You really have a feeble, narrow mind, human. I see no injuries here.

His voice had a echo of smugness about it, and when she looked, sure enough the rips in his suit were still there, but the skin beneath was whole and unmarked.

She gaped at him until he turned back around, only finding her voice when he was several strides away. “W-Wait! You brought me all the way out here! At least t-take me h-home!”

He didn’t reply, and then he slipped between the trees and was gone.

Allie cursed, felt her cold feet squelching wetly in her shoes and wrapped her good arm around herself. The wind was cold and  she shivered, but then she gave up and began the long, solitary walk home.

The fawn was waiting at the cabin and when she appeared at the edge of the clearing, it called out to her and came over, putting its head under her good elbow and leaning its body into her. 

Allie walked stiffly with it back to the cabin, and her mind whirled the whole way, running the conversation she’d had with the monster over and over again in her mind. She’d actually...connected with him somewhat. That was amazing.

He was one hell of a jerk, but it was still amazing.

Maybe this was the start of something. She didn’t know what, but perhaps it would be good, in the end.
She let the fawn into the cabin and then swung the door closed behind her. It latched with a quiet click.

In the forest, the Slenderman watched. 

She’d made it home to her brainless pet, and she’d made it inside.
With the first aid kit he’d left her the last time, he was sure she’d be able to doctor her own wounds sufficiently enough.
His lip curled again as he recalled just how brazenly shed spoken to him in the lake. 
Just how much she got under his skin asking questions she had no right asking.

He was not her companion, he was nothing like the mindless deer she trained like a dog and if she continued to act like he was, he’d need to put her in her place again.
He shouldn’t have indulged her as long as he did. He should have just left her in the lake after rescuing her.

Rescuing her. Why did he insist on pandering to her weak, closeminded whims? She knew nothing about him, about what he was, what he could do or what he was capable of, and yet...

The Slenderman hissed and turned towards the tree next to him, digging his claws into it and dragging downwards in an explosion of bark and wood.

His mark made, he felt a little better. 
She’d see it and know he was the master of her and her pet and the whole forest and she would not cross him again.

Except she would. He knew she would challenge him again and it wouldn’t be long before she did. 
He’d given her hope that he could be reasoned with, and now she was going to dig her heels in and be a stubborn little bitch all over again. Well whatever. He would deal with her when it came to it. 

Damn human. Getting under his skin like a thorn in his side even now.

He hissed and then grabbed the tree he’d marked up and ripped it from the ground with a protesting groan of roots. He let it drop and then turned away from the logger’s clearing.

Allie.
What a stupid name.

Chapter Text

Hey readers! Its me, InternetCannibal. I just wanted to write something quick to explain the unexpected month and a half hiatus I found myself taking.
The truth is, life overwhelmed me. My mental illnesses flared up, my mother was in the hospital for emergency surgery, someone got covid in my building, a lot of things just happened one after the other without any breaks in between and it kind of broke me.

I’m still interested in finishing this story, but since I wasn’t thinking about it for so long, I think I’ve lost the muse for it. In addition, the colder months—September to April are when my Seasonal Depression is the worst and I lose most of my interest in things I used to love. That being said, I’m going to use reader interaction to this message to gauge whether or not I try and get the muse back, or if I work on other projects, or just wait till spring to do anything else, so if you want to see this story completed, leave a comment and let me know!
I’m also sad to say that if I do continue working on HTFS, I won’t be updating nearly as frequently. I kind of spoiled you guys with all the rapid fire chapters I just spat out one after another and currently, I don’t have the capacity or mental energy to keep up that pace.

One final note. I want to thank you guys for reading my story at all, it means a hell of a lot to me that people like my writing.
You guys are great.

—Canni

Chapter Text

Allie sat crosslegged on the bulk of one of the rusted metal logging machines that dotted her front yard.
She pulled her jacket around herself to ward off the afternoon chill and watched her deer friend graze on a ring of mushrooms by one of the trees at the edge of the clearing.
There was a heaviness on her chest, or rather, in it and it had nothing to do with how hungry she was.
The days were getting shorter and shorter, and with the increasing loss of daylight hours, her foraging and hunting, what little she could do was impeded greatly.
Plus, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her captor was watching her. From dawn to dusk, she was alone, apart from the fawn she’d finally chosen a name for, but it crept in at night when all was quiet, a lingering paranoia that made restful sleep difficult to obtain.
When was the other shoe going to drop? When was the monster going to come for her? To play with his toy?

God she hated that term. Toy. It stole her agency, her sense of self, reduced her to an unimportant object that could be thrown away and forgotten about at any time. Thinking about it made her angry.

“Dawn.” She called, slipping off the chilled machine, her backside slightly numb. The deer perked up her ears and swivelled her head towards Allie, a piece of mushroom sticking from her mouth.
Allie motioned with one hand and then headed back to the cabin. Not much had changed since... the confrontation. 

It felt almost dreamlike to recall; the bear, the battle she’d witnessed between the natural and the supernatural.
The conversation that had happened afterwards at the lake had been nothing short of incredible, but in a bad way.
She’d learned things she never wanted to. The curse of curiosity.

Allie kicked her new boots against the doorframe before stepping inside to rid them of dirt and leaves and then entered her home.
There wasn’t much in the way of decorations she’d had access to, to make the shelter her own but here and there, hard won improvements stood out. One of the walls was stacked high with firewood, dry and ready for burning. She’d made herself several improved tools, a bone knife from the leg bone of a dead buck she’d found, several sturdy replacement spear heads to fit her stone fishing spear, hooks and bits and bobs to make her snaring easier and more effective. The bear the monster had killed— its pelt now served as a heavier blanket draped over her bed. It took her five long hours to skin the creature with what she had on hand, working against time and scavengers like foxes, weasels and wolves that stayed out of sight while she worked into the late hours of the day.  
She didn’t dare eat it. Something about the idea of eating what that monster killed, it sat wrong with her. It was a wrongness she could feel in her bones. So she let the animals have what was left.

Allie rubbed her face, feeling how cool her cheeks and nose were, before grabbing a hunk of dried rabbit jerky from her stash and popping it into her mouth. The gaminess of the meat made her saliva run, and she chewed while assessing her to-do tasks. She needed to reset her fox and rabbit snares, catch more fish to dry out and store and chop more wood. 
She’d leave that task for last, as it was draining and strenuous.

There was a soft clop and she turned away from her firewood to see Dawn entering the cabin, head raised. Allie mentally added ‘harvest more bark and mushrooms’ to her list of tasks.
She didn’t want to think about what would happen if Dawn ran out of food during the winter.
Deer were herbivores, but Allie had seen her eat a bird off a low hanging branch without a second thought. She didn’t doubt that her cervine friend would help herself to her food if Allie didn’t let her out occasionally to forage in the woods and also supply her with bark to chew during the long nights.

“Okay, Dawn. I’ll be back. Don’t let anyone in,” she added with a smile as she reached up to pet the doe’s head and face. Dawn’s liquid dark eyes were gentle and Allie felt her heart warm.  
“Good girl.” 
She picked up her forage bag, then slipped past and out the door again.
Her new boots were a little big, but they did what they were supposed to do, protect her feet, and for that she was supremely grateful. She could handle a few blisters. Besides, their previous owner didn’t need them anymore.

Allie let her thoughts wander as she weaved through the trees in ever increasing circles away from her home base, picking up every mushroom, root and tuber that looked edible. She bravely stuck her hands into the squirrel and chipmunk holes she could reach, sometimes scoring handfuls of nuts, sometimes nothing at all. 
Using her sharpened bone knife, Allie occasionally chipped off rolls of bark from the trees she passed for Dawn. 

What was she going to do if she managed to survive the winter? She hadn’t really thought that far ahead, mainly because the thought of winter itself was anxiety inducing enough that she actively avoided thinking about it. 
 
It didn’t matter, she told herself. It didn’t matter if she survived the winter, because her situation wouldn’t change. She was still going to be a prisoner of a faceless, sadistic monster, and the solution to that problem was not going to appear before her out of nowhere.

Something crunched underfoot, something inorganic. Frowning, she looked down, saw something dark blue sticking out of the leaves. She knelt and brushed away the yellow and brown carpet to reveal—

“What the...?”
Allie withdrew the brightly coloured package of chips from its resting place and turned it over in her hands. “Cool Ranch Doritos,” she read with a sinking feeling in her gut.
The bag was dirty but still full of chips and air, so she dropped it into the fabric bag and slowly got to her feet.
Not another one. Please, not another one.

Allie took one look around her, then started shuffling forwards, disturbing the leaves with every step.
It wasn’t long before she came across another bag of chips, this one busted open, the barbecue chips mushy and dissolving into the loam beneath.
She stepped around a tree and found the source of the litter.
There was a dark green backpack on the ground, its brightly coloured contents spilled out in a large swath around it. Clothing, a water bottle. The shreds of a sleeping bag, so much food. 
She approached the bag cautiously. It looked like one that a hiker would use, and the sinking feeling turned into a sick, twisting one. 
Leaving her bag on the edge of the scene, Allie knelt and started examining the debris. 
The sleeping bag was a lost cause so she left it.
Silently, she picked up the various packages of food, clearly valuable and sealed in water proof bags so that any rain or animal couldn’t spoil them. She stepped on something that crunched in a different way, and when she lifted her foot to look, she saw a fancy looking compass with a cracked case spinning aimlessly in a circle. She bent to pick it up and then brushed it off, laying it flat in the palm of her hand and watching it spin.
Compasses didn’t usually do that, to her knowledge. 

She’d broken the glass cover, but she suspected that the mechanism itself was working fine. Just to test it, she turned in all four directions, and even held it upside down. No change. 
That meant it was useless to her, but for some reason, she pocketed it anyway. 

Allie moved on to the backpack itself, picking it up off the ground to see if it was still usable. Several things fell out the bottom, and further examination revealed the bag itself had been slashed open in several places. She fingered the frayed edges. Too ragged to be from a knife.
She tossed the bag aside and used her foot to push around what had fallen out. There was a ziplock baggie full of toiletries, small travel sized soap and shampoo, a comb and one of those sponge things used to wash oneself. She could use all of them, she hadn’t had a proper shower in her memory, and even if the water at the lake was cold and getting colder, getting clean would be a luxury. 
She picked up the bag and then reached for the other thing that fell from the backpack. It was blocky. Strangely heavy for its size, and grey and yellow.
She frowned and turned it over in her grip. There was a sliding panel, so she slid it, revealing a simple looking display and a keypad. She almost dropped it in shock. It was a phone.

Allie’s first thought was that she had to hide it. Suddenly, she had something from the outside world that could be used to get herself out. Like the map before she realized she couldn’t leave the forest. But maybe things would be different this time.

She slipped it into her pocket with the compass after furtively looking around. She didn’t even know if it worked, but something told her she’d just gotten very lucky.

With the knowledge that she’d scored big, she hurried to bring her scavenged goods to her forage bag and leave. A pair of pants with dark stains caught her eye at the far edge of the clearing. They pointed deeper into the woods. 
She didn’t want to find the hiker.
She really didn’t want to find him, because she knew that she would find him if she followed the trail.
Her feet hesitated on the leaves, but then she moved forwards, bag in hand. 

It wasn’t long. Allie came across a dark trail just a few yards beyond the edge of the debris. She didn’t need to get closer to know it was definitely blood.
The blood was dried, so the kill wasn’t fresh, and in the cold weather, the body wouldn’t be decomposing. If it had anything on it, and it was in an accessible place she might as well take a closer look.

She tightened her grip on her bag. The monster had been busy the last few weeks. She’d already come across one body. A woman, who’d been wearing some winter boots. 

Allie’s boots crunch over the dead leaf litter, and then... just around a large rock, she finds him.
“Hell,” she mutters, standing still and taking the scene in. The man was definitely a hiker. He was also definitely dead. 
The man was wearing a thick grey winter jacket and his hands were blue and bruised. His body was turned onto its side at such an angle that she couldn’t see his face. Or his head. Just the vicious bloodless slash marks in his legs and belly. 
Fuck.
Setting her bag down again, she approached cautiously, moving around the body.
She almost threw up when she saw the state of his head—or lack thereof.
The man had been brutally decapitated, bits of broken spine visible in the gore that was his neck. The head was nowhere to be seen.
“Motherfucker.”
The curse was low, uttered with pity and with hate.
She steeled herself and rolled the man’s stiff corpse onto its back, palming over the coat for anything in the pockets. They were empty, no wallet, no keys, nothing identifying this slab of meat as a person.
She carefully unzipped the corpse’s coat, realizing that it was much better then the one she was currently wearing.

“He can’t use it now,” she told herself, but her fingers still hesitated. There was a certain hell awaiting those who desecrated not one, not two, but three corpses. Even if she had to, it still felt... so wrong.
“Forgive me,” she murmured, before grabbing one of the man’s cold arms and moving to work the coat from his body.

Once the morbid task was done, she took off her own jacket, so much thinner in comparison, and draped it over the man’s torso and neck. A shroud, as best she could make it.
The monster would eventually return and take the corpse away, or the animals would get it, but she still felt like she had to do something to ease his passing.

The coat was warm, and smelled...like pine and faint cologne. The scent of the person who’d worn it before death would fade with time, but until then, she’d cherish it. It let her feel like she wasn’t utterly alone.

Dawn was waiting for her back at the house. She’d gotten onto the bed and was looking through the window when Allie returned with her heavy bag and heavier heart. 
That evening saw her outside, guiltily warm in her new coat, chopping logs into usable wood for the fireplace. She stopped when she felt blisters forming on her palms and gathered the wood in her arms. 
Getting into the cabin was a little difficult, but she managed it, managed to stack the wood so it wouldn’t fall, and stop Dawn from helping herself to the forage bag. 
“Hey!” She lightly swatted the air and Dawn went instead to her corner to lie down, chewing on pilfered bark placidly.

Allie emptied the forage bag into the cooler, pulling out the strange phone and the bag of toiletries and setting them aside.
She piled the bark in a cupboard overhead where her ravenous deer friend could not get to it, and separated the mushrooms she recognized from the ones she didn’t. Dawn could eat anything, so those would be for her.

For supper, Allie roasted some leftover rabbit meat and several mushrooms and nuts in the fireplace on a homemade poker before getting up to retrieve the phone once her belly was full. 
She brought it back to her warm spot on the floor and took a better look at it in the light.
It looked less like a phone and more like a hard, plastic brick with a screen. 

Allie weighed it in her hand, then slid the cover back to expose the buttons. She experimentally pressed a few.
A hot breath on the back of her neck told her Dawn had come to investigate too. Allie pressed another button.
There was a shrill beep and the screen lit up green. 
The noise startled both woman and deer, and the phone hit the floor with a thunk as she dropped it and swore.
After a few seconds the beep ceased and she snatched it back up.
“What the hell?”

Looking at the screen revealed that the phone had no signal. She had been expecting that, but it still made a pit form in her stomach. 
No signal. 
No way out.

Allie was overcome with a sudden frustration and urge to throw the damn thing, but she resisted and instead got to her feet, made sure the fire wasn’t going to burn out of control, and then slid the phone under her bed. Maybe there was a way to get a signal. 
I’ll take another look at a later date, she decided as she slid under the bear pelt with Dawn at her feet, and drifted off to sleep.

Several days later, Allie stepped out of her cabin with Dawn right behind, to find a frost coated forest awaiting them.
All thought of the satellite phone was driven from her mind as she entered the last stretch of her race to survive against the looming winter.

It might have been a week, maybe two after the first frost that she woke to find her breath clouding white in the cabin air, the fire out and Dawn frantically pacing in a circle around the small space.
The doe’s ears were back and she was breathing heavily and fast, eyes wide with fear.
Allie sprung up from her bed to soothe her, unsure of what had frightened her so.
But as she pet her friend’s soft face and comforted her quietly, she became aware of a strange sound.
The cabin was creaking. That wasn’t too surprising, since it was old and slightly weatherworn, but it was where it was creaking that was alarming.
Some dust came filtered down from the ceiling, and it drew her gaze upwards. 
Something was on the roof.

Allie moved carefully, retrieving her bone knife from where it lay on the counter, and the axe in her other hand. 
Now that she was aware of it, there was a buzzing at the back of her skull, like the beginnings of a headache. She swallowed and then opened the front door. 
Dawn surged past her and took off into the frigid, yet misty morning. Allie felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle as she stepped outside and felt the presence right behind her.
There was a crack of wood that made her whirl back to the cabin, and she let out a curse when she saw the monster crouched predatorily over her home even though she’d known it would be him.

Instantly she brought the weapons to bear, taking a step back as he unfolded himself like a particularly horrifying spider and moved down off the roof one limb at a time. A low growl rippled the air, unamused and unimpressed, and it echoed in her mind before the words came.

You’re still alive. 

There was a mocking tone to them that made her stiffen through her coat.
Her answer was as cool as the air around them. “Yes, I am.”

He walked towards her on his twisted limbs with unnatural grace for a thing of his size, making her back up even further.
Her grip tightened on her knife and the axe, lifting both up to protect herself should he attack.
His large hand paused a few inches from the earth, and then his face ripped open in that particular way of his, showing teeth in a hideously terrifying smile.

You think you threaten me, human? Put your toys away before I take them from you.

Every inch of her wanted to lunge for that face. If she could cut out his tongue, or cut his throat... could she kill him? Was it possible? What would it take—how much strength and speed—
Allie’s thoughts were interrupted by pain and she cried out and clutched at her head as he punished her for her disobedience.
His presence reached in, so alien and powerful, and grabbed hold of her mind. 
The touch of his own felt obscene and his words split her resolve in two.

You think big thoughts for a human woman. Kill me? After all I’ve done to help you? I haven’t even hurt you like I promised I would. That can change, he hissed into her mind. At any time. You may want to rethink your ambitious fantasies.

And then he let her go, and she found herself on her knees, gasping for air.

How do you like my gifts? The monster said, still mocking her. Allie struggled to piece together her thoughts enough to reply.
“G-Gifts?”
The monster laughed, a deep, raspy, inhuman sound in the back of his throat.
The bodies.

Oh god.
She’d suspected that they’d been left for her to find. A woman with a a broken neck—and the headless man.
She’d scavenged from both corpses. Felt terrible about it, but she had to do what she needed to protect herself.
It just sounded infinitely more deplorable hearing him say it outright.
Gifts.

“Those... you... You killed them on purpose..”
She couldn’t get the words out right, shaking her head back and forth slightly. It was sick, so incredibly sick. The warm coat she was wearing, the boots that encased her feet... Allie felt so, so guilty. It threatened to swallow her. She remained on her knees, looking down at the ground.

The monster let out a sound akin to a purr and then spoke to her again. 
Don’t look so upset. You know my plan is to keep you alive. You’re not entertaining if you’re dead. You act like you care, but the truth is those other humans mean nothing. Not to me... and certainly not to you.

She hated him. She hated that he was right. Maybe, if she could have gotten to them first, told them to go back the way they’d came, she would be able to temper how bad she felt.
Because the truth was, she was relieved that they were dead. And relieved that they had died in such a way as to be useful to her.

“Shut up!” She snapped suddenly, jerking her head up and glaring at the monster. The edges of her vision fuzzed slightly as he laughed, his power lapping at her mind and body in strong waves.
“Shut up. You’re horrible! I don’t need your gifts,” she spat at him, then moved to unzip the coat. His laugh turned into a irritated growl.

You will need them very soon, and like it or not, it is your fault those humans are dead and there’s nothing you can do to bring them back. I would cherish their gifts if I were you.

Allie flinched hard. There it was. People were dying—because he was killing them. That stung, but not as badly as he was killing them for her.
To ensure she continued to survive, his own personal entertainer.
Her thoughts slipped into a dark place but she was wrenched out of it by a loud, angry growl.
She looked up in time to see his hand reaching for her and she flung herself backwards to get away. “No!! Stay away!!”

His long fingers closed around her ankle and dragged her right back, almost under him. His body contorted to bring his face very close to hers, close enough that some of his saliva, dark and foul smelling, dripped onto her coat from his partially open jaws. 

If you dare think about ending yourself again, I will visit upon you such agony as you have never known!

His threat made her quail and turn her head away from the proximity of his fangs. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and it caused her heart to hammer in her chest.
His grip on her ankle tightened to the point of pain until she cried out, desperate. “Okay, okay!! I understand!”

Get up. 
There was contempt in his voice and it made her scowl. She zipped the coat back up and carefully got to her feet, a little shaky. “What do you want? Just to manhandle me and call me names? Is this what you consider entertainment?? I don’t have time for this.”

The monster snorted, which was impressive since he didn’t have visible nostrils. He reached out a hand and Allie tensed, but he just grabbed her chin between his clawed fingers and tipped her head up to face him better. Her eyes were still glaring.

I want you to give me a gift.

Her glare dropped, replaced with confusion. “Wh-what?”

A gift, he insisted, voice deep and layered in her head. I’ve given you two, and considering the day its only courteous for you to return the sentiment.

“Courteous?” She repeated dumbly, unsure how she was supposed to react. “Wh-What do you want?”
What could she give him that he’d find... pleasing? She was just a human, weak and nothing, like he said. She had nothing to give.

His laughter was sibilant. 

I want you. 

Her mind blanked completely. What? He’d said he didn’t want to kill her. So what was he...?
It dawned on her slowly, far too slowly.
She took a physical step back out of his grip, her eyes widening. 
“WHAT?!”
Images, unbidden came to her mind. Things she’d never have thought of in a million years, things that made her feel sick and frantic and—dear god—

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
She shouted the words at him, fists clenched, face pale. “NO WAY IN HELL!!”

The monster tipped its head to one side, and then Allie’s face reddened as she felt him poking around in her mind, seeing and reading all the intrusive thoughts she was trying to suppress.
His lips quirked, then rose in a half smile and she felt a hot flush of shame—

I will never understand humans and their particular shame and stigma around copulation. No, I am not interested in your body. I want your worship.

Worship? That sounded... almost worse.
“You’re not a god,” she snapped out, trying to regain her footing in the conversation.

His smile changed slightly. 
To you. But others would contest you on that fact. And I demand a gift. You made an offering to me once. It was abysmal, but the thought was there. You wanted my favour, did you not?

Allie gritted her teeth. “So what if I did? Now that I know how utterly reprehensible you are, I won’t be making that mistake again.”

He widened his smile but his voice was cold. 
You will present to me an offering worthy of me, and you will do this today. At sundown, I will judge your work. If it is pleasing, you may have my favour.
He sounded so....smug. Allie despised him.
“I don’t want your favour!” She growled, crossing her arms. “I don’t want anything from you!”

A boon then. 

“I don’t want that either!!”

You’d be wise to take it, I don’t make ...deals with humans.

Allie’s grey eyes narrowed. “Then why are you making one with me? Go screw yourself! I’m not going to ‘prepare you an offering’, get over yourself.”

There was a rippling, warning snarl. 

You’ll do what you’re told.
His voice was sharp now, as well as cold. Ice covered claws dug into her mind but she resisted.

“Or what?! I won’t get your favour? Ooh, I’m so upset!”
Even though she knew it was risky, she couldn’t help but continue to dig her heels in. Everything about his entitled attitude incensed her.

Clearly you are, he replied with a hiss, patience clearly running thin.
Keep running your mouth, human. My good will is not endless. However, if you are smart enough, you could use such a boon to your advantage.

He didn’t say it outright, but she got the message.
“You’re not seriously saying that I could use it to leave, are you? What happened to keeping me trapped here forever?”

His head tipped in such a way that made Allie feel deeply condescended to.
I said no such thing. You can’t leave these woods without my permission and I will never give it. I’m simply making our game more ...interesting. Besides, there’s one more reason why you should obey me.

She ground her teeth together to keep from spitting in his face. “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

The monster leaned forwards again, bringing his blank visage closer to her, those terrible teeth gleaming in the dull morning light. 
He reached out a hand and she was frozen as he drew one sharp claw over her cheek, almost... tenderly. When he spoke next, his voice was full of dark promise. 

Because I’ll break both your legs if you don’t.

Chapter Text

Thirty minutes later Allie walked through the misty forest on her own, whistling occasionally as she searched for Dawn. She couldn’t stop herself from going over the instructions the monster had given her. She could hear his voice in her head as she recalled the recent memory, and it bothered her immensely that she knew it so well by now.

You will build me an offering worthy of me. Hunt me something substantial, if I see rabbits on that pyre I will push you in with them.

She had doubted the validity of that threat, but hadn’t said anything for fear he was serious. 

You will arrange the offering in whatever way best pleases you, but stab a stick through the meat and have it be the highest point in the pyre.

She hadn’t quite understood why he was being so specific, but she wasn’t going to question him. Not this time. The threat of losing her mobility had worked, she was behaving. She’d do as he asked. There were a lot of instructions though. 

Light the fire at sundown and let it burn, if the meat chars do not move it.  And lastly...

She’d been stunned when he’d up and vanished in the middle of his commands, there’d been a flicker around him, a surge of power she could feel, and then he’d vanished. 

Allie had barely moved an inch before he was back, with something odd in his hands. It was a vegetable of some kind, purple and white and still smeared with dirt.

“Uhm,” she’d began, but he just thrust it into her arms without any explanation and told her to make it hollow and carve a face into it. Then again, he’d disappeared, but this time, he hadn’t returned. The vegetable was sitting on her bed, awaiting its fate.

“Dawn! Dawn, where’d you go?”

She called out into the chill air but got no reply. Allie frowned, listening to her voice’s echo fade into the fog. She only had limited daylight hours to complete the ....task set to her by the monster. If Dawn didn’t appear soon, she’d have to carry on without her.

Maybe it was for the best, she thought as her feet continued crunching through the fallen leaves. 

Hunt me something substantial.

Allie shuddered. She could subsist on rabbit and fox meat, but a creature that big would not. 

Something substantial to him would be a deer, a wolf— A nice snack, and a whole meal would be a moose, or perhaps a bear. No way in hell was she going to hunt a bear. Not after last time.

“Dawn, please,” she pleaded into the empty woods. “I need to get you inside...”
But no gentle eyed doe came to her and so she was forced to turn back.

“Fish, maybe?”

She paced around the spot she’d chosen for the bonfire, or ‘pyre’ as he’d called it. It was a circle of flat dirt she’d cleared of leaves and flammable things, not that she was afraid of the fire spreading, not in such wet and cold conditions.

“I’d need a hell of a lot of fish,” she argued with herself. 

The simplest solution would be to trap a deer and kill it, but every time she came back to that idea, she saw Dawn’s liquid black eyes staring at her pitifully, and her stomach churned. 

Not rabbits. Never deer. 

So what else was left?

Allie checked her traps. There was blood in one, but no animal, not even a measly rabbit. 

She kept walking in an easterly direction just to see if anything crossed her path.

It wasn’t long before her path became an incline, and she found herself climbing the same ridge that she’d encountered the bear on. She’d briefly thought to look for berries to sustain her while she worked, but the frost would have killed them all off.

Instead, she came upon a different sight.

The bear’s partially decomposed and scavenged carcass was still there. The cold slowed its rotting, and it hulked there, an empty vessel. She stood atop the ridge and payed quiet respect to the beast that had just been doing its best to survive. 

Allie heard the panicked scream of a deer down the other side of the ridge and she snapped her head to the sound.

Her eyes widened and she took off without really registering her body’s motion. 

“Dawn!!” She called out, racing down the steep decline and skidding between the trees without a second thought.

The deer screamed again, the fear and pain of the cry surging through Allie.

It could have been any old deer, she didn’t know if it was her friend, but there was something burning its way up her throat, an anger she couldn’t control or tamp down, and when she burst into the clearing and caught the tawny cougar with its fangs buried in the doe’s side, it exploded out of her.

She was just a thin, short human, and yet, she felt so much more powerful then that in that instant, as if she was channeling the monster that stalked her day and night.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!!!” She shouted at the big cat, who flicked its ears back and hissed at her. The doe kicked out, catching the predator under the chin with a hoof and escaped its claws.

The muscular cat rounded on Allie, fangs bared, snarling uncertaintly. She locked her grey eyes on the coin golden irises of the cougar, letting it know that she was absolutely a threat.

She had to hunt something, and that something was right in front of her.

The mountain lion’s tail swished back and forth before it tensed and ran at her. Allie dove out of the way, coming up on her feet just as the animal sprang at her.

They both went down and Allie slammed the hilt of her knife into its eye. The cougar shrieked in fury, its claws tearing into her coat and skin, raking bloody scratches down her right arm. 

Allie screamed her anger into its face and in the scuffle, she somehow got behind the big animal and locked her arms around its throat, holding on for dear life as if thrashed and yowled its fury. She cried out as it got a back paw into her belly and gave her a powerful kick that forced the breath from her body.

Her knife almost slipped from her numb grip as the cat slammed her to the hard, cold ground, but she got control of it again and sank it into the side of the beast’s throat. It spasmed, letting out a gurgling snarl of pain that ended in a bubbling of blood. Allie yanked her arm across its body, still holding on as he knife slashed jaggedly across its furry neck, opening it wide.

The cougar’s struggles got steadily weaker as its lifeblood drained down over Allie; her hands, her neck, her coat and shirt.
It was so warm, and as the animal’s life left it, so too did Allie’s anger leave her. 
When the majestic cat went limp against her body, she dropped her knife and lay back on the ground, breathing hard.

She heard the trees rustling and the light crunch of leaves and carefully shoved the cougar off her body.

The doe was still there, standing almost behind her, trembling. There was a bleeding bite in its right haunch, and its back leg was lifted a little off the ground.

Now that she was thinking straight, Allie could tell that it wasn’t Dawn. 
She looked from the doe to the dead mountain lion and loosed a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly, to both of them. “I’m sorry you had to die just for doing what you had to.” And to the doe; “I’m sorry you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The doe’s ears flicked back as she took a step towards her, and the animal limped backwards. Right. It was only Dawn that let her approach.
Allie scanned her gaze over the injury, it was bleeding, but not much. This deer would survive.

“Okay,” she spoke softly. “You can go, but if you see Dawn, please tell her to come home.”

She turned her back to the bloodied cougar carcass to allow the doe to leave.
The cat wasn’t all that big, which is probably why she’d survived. She reached down and grabbed its limp back paws, stretching it out to discern just how large it was.

It was longer then she was, but that didn’t say much, as she was rather short.
She could feel the blood on her neck and hands cooling her skin and wished for a pond or stream nearby to wash it off.
If ever there was a reason she’d have to use the shampoo and conditioner and soap she’d scavenged from the dead hiker...
But was she going to risk losing time she needed to prepare the monster’s offering?

She still didn’t understand why it was so important, or if this was just another way for him to exert his dominance over her.
All she knew was that, having killed the cougar laying before her, she’d fulfilled his first requirement.

Hunt something substantial.

Hopefully, she thought as she moved to hoist the dead animal up so she could drag it back home, he wasn’t averse to eating cat.

She had no way to measure time, but the sun was still high in the sky when she returned to the cabin.
She dropped the mountain lion next to the door and brought a bloodied hand to her face to brush away the pale locks of hair that were sticking to her face.
It stuck to her fingers instead, and that was the last straw. Screw the offering, the sun wasn’t anywhere close to setting and she needed a bath. Now.

She went into the cabin to fetch the little baggie, pausing to look at the large, round vegetable still lying on her bed. What was up with that?
But she’d deal with it later.
Armed with her supplies, she marched down to the lake.

The water was shockingly cold, and dark like murky glass under the grey sky.
For once, Allie didn’t want to go in, even though she knew that if she moved around while in there, she’d acclimatize to the temperature quickly enough.

The stones were sharp under her feet as she pulled off her boots, setting them aside to make way for the rest of her clothes.
The coat could be rinsed off, it seemed to be pretty water resistant on the outside, and a little blood on the collar wouldn’t kill her. Her shirt, however, had a huge stain of dark red brown that soaked into the neckline and down the front of her chest.
It wasn’t ever going to come out, not even with copious amounts of scrubbing in the lake.
Then, she kicked off her pants and strode towards the water, unaware that once again, she was being watched.

The trees bent and swayed in the breeze, but soundless, and Allie was too preoccupied with dealing with the icy water as it slid up her body with each step to notice.

“Fuck!!” She shouted, the air sucked from her lungs as she forced herself to submerge to her shoulders, the ziploc baggie of hygiene products tight in her other hand. “Jeesus!!!”

She was already shivering. This would have to be a quick dip.

“Shit!—fuck...”

Her hands almost dropped the soap as she pulled it from its packaging, but she clenched it tightly and began to scrub herself down, everywhere she could reach, including places that were below the water. The blood and grime and sweat practically melted off her skin in the mad lather of bubbles, and though her teeth were chattering, she could almost cry.

It felt so good to scrub the months off her properly. It felt so good to be clean, and it felt like it wasn’t just her skin being cleansed.

She felt the amusement echoing in her mind and realized that it wasn’t coming from her the moment she’d gone into the shallows to rinse off, soap suds clinging to her exposed breasts and belly, legs, rear end and the patch of blonde hair between her legs.

She responded with shock and slid on a mossy rock, falling backwards with a splash, sitting on her ass as the suds drifted away.

“ARE YOU FUCKING WATCHING ME?!” She shrieked to the forest, feeling a surge of rage filling her chest and burning up her throat again.

There was motion between the trees and then the monster emerged, ducking under a low branch and standing several Metres away, cool as you please.

Despite the distance, she could hear his voice clearly in her mind. 

I thought I might find myself a drink here, but I found you instead. And you have polluted the water.

“Polluted the—!”

She flushed darker then the cold had her before and then covered herself from his sight as he approached the water’s edge slowly.

“This lake is huge. You can go drink somewhere else! Anywhere else!”

She glared at him, waiting for him to leave, but he just crouched down next to her pile of clothes and poked through them with a claw.

“Hey! Are you listening?!”

She couldn’t move, frozen in place. “Get away from my stuff!” She yelled at him, a hint of fear and desperation colouring her voice.

Be quiet.

Its all he said as he picked up her bloodied shirt. And right in front of her, his hands closed on either end, and there was a ripping sound as he shredded it in two. She cried out in shock and then anger.

“What the FUCK?!”

Her voice echoed over the lake’s surface and into the forest, and she watched the monster ball up the shreds of her shirt and slip them into his suit. 

“I NEED—!! YOU BASTARD, I NEEDED THAT!!!”

That was it.

She struggled to her feet, naked or no, even if there wasn’t anything she could do but stand in waist deep water and scream at a monster that just loved to fuck her over.

“What’s your FUCKING PROBLEM? IS THIS ANOTHER GAME TO YOU? PUT THAT DOWN!!”

The monster didn’t even acknowledge her, he just gathered the rest of her clothing, barring the coat and boots, then stood and looked towards her as if she was nothing more then interesting lake weed floating on the surface.

“No, don’t you dare—“ she warned, but then... He vanished.

“No!!!!”

Her plaintive cry fell upon empty space.

She was crestfallen. Her bath cancelled, she finished rinsing off and waded back to shore.

It was almost laughable how powerless she was in the long run. This, once again, proved it.

She approached her coat and lifted it off the ground, just holding it in her hands as she shivered in the cold air.

What a bastard. What a total and utter—

Something was dropped on her head and she cried out as it obscured her eyes.

Was it some kind of animal? It was... soft.

Her hands dug into it and ripped it away, and she stared at the pink fabric in her fists.

It was big, not as big as a sheet, but...

“...A towel?”

It was a towel.

The low rumbling laugh came from directly behind her and Allie jerked, whirling and holding the towel up to cover herself.

“You!! What are you doing??”

She demanded, eyes wide. The monster just tossed a folded outfit at her. Two pieces, a wool sweater and a pair of thicker pants.

She couldn’t catch them without dropping the towel and she just stared up at him in complete bafflement.

The monster licked his fingers one by one, which were dyed red, she realized with a churning in her stomach. “M-More stolen clothes?”

Tonight is a sacred night. Even you must look presentable.

He flicked his tongue out and she found her eyes fixated on it. It was long, dextrous... and covered in dark saliva. Weird.

Then he realized she was staring and turned his head towards her. She tightened her grip on the towel, cheeks red.

You act like I care what you look like. I have seen many, many humans in all stages of undress. Male, female, it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen it all. And you are... barely average for your species.

He smiled at her and her expression turned thunderous. “You’re a bastard.” She spat, looking down at the clothes.

So you’ve said. Dry and dress, it is soon time for the ceremony.

His jaws closed and he moved past her, heading back to the trees. 

Don’t keep me waiting.

What the hell?

Allie used the towel to dry herself down once he was gone, her limbs shaking from the cold. Despite how much she hated her captor, she had to acknowledge that he knew what she needed more then she did. The sweater was coloured orange and was warm, and thick. 

The pants were less vibrant, but just as warm.

She slid the coat on over top and couldn’t feel the chill at all any more.

“Bastard, asshole monster,” she muttered to herself as she trekked back to her cabin, only realizing halfway to her destination that she’d forgotten the bag of shower supplies either in the lake or by it.

I really did pollute it, fancy that.

He wasn’t there when she arrived, the cougar still where it was sprawled next to the door, the bonfire half erected in its place. The only thing that had changed was that weird vegetable was sitting in front of her door, with her bone knife lying next to it.

Allie inhaled, then let out her breath in a rush.

Right, she had to .... carve it. 

First she finished adding wood to the bonfire, constructing it just so, so that it would bear the cougar’s full weight. She had no doubt that her ‘substantial hunt’ was to be the monsters meal. But that begged the question, what was she going to eat?

It didn’t matter, she told herself. She just had to make sure he was satisfied with her offering. She had jerky and mushrooms and dried fish inside. And for a treat, she could have the bag of chips she’d taken from the hiker’s debris.

With that to look forward to, Allie renewed her effort to make a suitable offering.

She carved an inelegant face into the vegetable and arranged the offering on the wood before striking flint into the tinder and setting the fire.

It was a hungry thing, and grew indiscriminately, devouring everything it could, but her earlier prepwork made sure that the flames didn’t leap too far from the pyre.

As the sun slipped beneath the trees and the forest darkened around her, she waited. 

She scanned the dark trees, knife in hand, but held loosely. She was listening for the quiet that preceded him like a wave, but with the autumn chill prevalent, the forest was quietened already. Few insects and animals were about.

As the shrouded full moon rose in the cloud filled sky and the scent of cooking meat filled the air, she waited, breathing slightly uneven.

What was to happen next?

The soft rustling is what alerted her in the end. The sound of something stealthily moving over the leaves, too quiet to be a moose or bear.

He came on all fours, the firelight flickering off where his eyes and nose should have been. Casting shadows in the hollows of his cheeks and over his jaw.

She stood transfixed as he approached her, like he had the first time she’d done this, made an offering to something she couldn’t comprehend.

His head turned towards the fire and his mouth opened, a parted seam with just a hint of glittering teeth as he inhaled. There was a strange power she could feel, not coming directly from him, or from the fire, she couldn’t tell exactly how it was seeping into the world, but it was there, and when she spoke, it was in a low voice so as to not disturb it.

“...Well?”

Darkness writhed behind him, over his shoulders, from his back and her eyes were drawn to the sight. Something about this creature... some part of herself would say he was beautiful, in a purely inhuman way. In a way she didn’t understand but could recognize.

For all she knew, he could be the only one of his species.

His head was cocked at an angle as he stared towards the fire silently and she wondered, wondered if he could see it and her and the forest despite his lack of eyes. 

How did he perceive the world?

Something in her was drawn, inorexibly towards him even though she never moved an inch. She needed to know.

She was reaching out without realizing it, through the fog that separated their minds. With his proximity, it didn’t take much effort.

But when she connected to him, her questing thoughts were caught; the same way her hand would be, should she have reached out physically.

She was rebuked without any words, forced to withdraw, but not before noting the thought that he hadn’t been as forceful as with prior attempts.

“What are you?” She asked quietly, barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

She didn’t reach out again, but his words came through clearly.

Some of your kind call me an Sealgair gun Aghaidh, others Der Großmann and others still call me The Slenderman.

She absorbed the words, repeating them over and over in her head. The first two, she couldn’t pronounce at all, but the third...

“Slenderman..” she says to herself, before looking up at him. “You’re thin, so I can see it. What’s... what’s with the suit?”

He lifted one shoulder in an accurate impression of a shrug.

“Okay... so... about this offering...?”

He turned his head towards her again and nodded, once.

I find it unsatisfactory.

Allie’s jaw dropped and all that wonder vanished in an instant, replaced by familiar feelings of fear and resentment. “What?! I... I worked my ass off for this! I fought a cougar, for chrissake! What do you mean unsatisfactory?”

The Slenderman’s thin lips quirked to one side and she’d never wanted to punch anything more.

Its missing a key component. 

She shot to her feet. “What? I’ll get it right now so you’ll be satisfied and leave me the hell alone!

The smile flattened. 

I told you earlier, human. You don’t listen half as well as you yell.  I want you. The offering... its you. Not the unfortunate animal you butchered.

She took a step back, prepared to run, but he was faster, snatching out a long arm and gripping her wrist, dragging her back.

She clawed at his hand, realizing too late that her knife is on the ground. “I’m not throwing myself onto that fire!” Her voice shook slightly as she strained to be free of his grip.

He laughed lowly and in a way that chilled her spine. 

You really have a flare for the dramatic, don’t you, human?

“Allie!” She snapped out without thinking. “My name. Is. Allie!!!”

The monster’s head tipped to one side slowly.

The mass of shadow black tendrils slid down his arm and replaced his hand with holding her in place. He drew her closer to him step by halting step, though she twisted and swore.

Enough, Allie.

Her grey eyes went wide as she stared up at him, stunned to stillness.

She’d never thought... 

“You...called me Allie.”

Way to state the obvious.

The Slenderman laughed again and shook his head, the tendrils wrapped around her wrist loosening their grip a little. 

Did you not just demand I address you as such?

She shook her head, then nodded, then just kept staring.

“I thought... You saw me only as a toy. What changed?”

Nothing, he replied smoothly, and her face fell. Then he turned back toward the forest, almost... avoiding her gaze.

“You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you. I don’t know when, or how, but I got through to you, didn’t I?”

Her voice was quiet, afraid to ruin the strange moment that was happening.

His lip curled slightly from what she could see of his face in the light, but it was less hostile then before.

If you are silent, he said eventually, I will tell you a great many things. Things you have been wondering about. But first, a story. Do you know what day it is?

Allie shut her mouth and shook her head. She didn’t know, she’d lost track of the days a while back and hadn’t bothered recounting.

His head lifted back, the smooth column of his neck lit by the moon as he stretched it back.

It is Samhain.

Allie frowned. “S.. sow-wen? What is that?”

He growled and she dipped her head. Right, silent. 
She sent an apology his way with her mind and sat back down on the ground next to the fire.

Samhain. All Hallows Eve, Spirits Eve. In times past, your kind made offerings to the things they didn’t understand, and carved turnips and pumpkins to ward away the worst of the nightmares that walk the earth.

This practice has continued into modern times.

I wanted to remember those times. That was why I commanded you to build this pyre. I will answer five of your questions, and only five. I suppose your effort in pleasing me needs be acknowledged. 

He settled into a sitting position, himself, a strangely human gesture.

Her lips were dry. She licked them to wet them.

“Why me?”

His answer was curt, but not cruel. 

You interested me more then the others. You knew nothing about the land you’d been thrown into. You didn’t notice me. And yet, you decided to do as humans do and persevere. 

It was fascinating. I’ve seen such determination before, but this was different somehow. 

He falls silent and Allie takes that as permission to ask another question.

“Where did you come from?”

She isn’t expecting the emotion that passes down their link.

She can’t categorize it as any one feeling. Its bitterness, amusement, anger and an aching emptiness in her chest.

“You can’t go back, can you? You’re stuck here. Which is why,” she realizes slowly, “Its why you’ve trapped me too.”
Her head snapped up. “You’re lonely.”

An image came back, resurfaced in both their minds. An old weathered oak door, with intricate designs carved into the wood and an iron handle.

Her eyes widened. “The way out,” she breathed.

His face jerked towards her. 

Not for you.

There was another strange note to his voice and the roiling feelings that were being shared unintentionally.

Allie saw a split second image of a group of stranger in strange masks, but then it was gone.

“Why not?” She asked, sacrificing one of her questions for the answer.

If you pass through the doorway, you’ll lose yourself entirely.

She swallowed, looking down. “That’s convenient. So you have a way to leave, but I don’t?”
The Slenderman shook his head. 

Next question.

She sighed, rubbing some dirt from her hand. “What’s the ingredient I missed? For the offering.”

He quirked another half smile. 

Your blood. Don’t remember? You added your blood to the first offering.  It had a pleasant scent. Added much to the symbolism.

Allie wrinkled her nose. “Oh great. I forgot you eat people. You’re... not going to eat me, are you?”
A laugh that curled around the inside of her skull. 

I won’t eat you, no.

“Why are you so... mean to me?”

It was a childish question, but to be fair she felt kind of like a child, sitting across a burning pyre from an ancient being who seemed to have done a complete one eighty in how he had been treating her.
It was a valid question.

His lips parted, and she saw his teeth, but then his mouth closed and he reached out a clawed hand to poke at the fire, sending a plume of sparks glittering up into the night sky.

To keep you at a distance. Understand that to me, humans are food... or they are... slaves.
You seemed determined to be the exception to both and I didn’t like it. It took me ...a while to get used to it. I’m still not. But if we have an understanding, he said carefully. You don’t cross me or harm yourself, then I in turn will do no harm to you. I will even get you things you need.

She looked from his blank face to the fire and the smoke rising from the charred animal corpse. 

“Will you let me go? Eventually?” She asks without looking at him.

He hesitates, then slowly dips his head. 

Yes. I will let you go... eventually.

Allie supposed that was as good as she was going to get, and reached for the turnip. “So what was this for?”

Ah.

He held out a hand, pale fingers tipped sharp, and she hesitantly placed it in his palm.

The turnip was going to be placed thusly, he speaks, lifting it up to the top of the pyre and stabbing it on the spike she’d erected along with the bonfire.

The flames immedietly began licking at the hollowed underside until the face glowed from within.

Allie laughed. “It looks kind of cool like that. I was wondering if you were going to eat it.”

He shook his head again. 

No. You are. 

“Me?” She blinked at him.

The Slenderman nodded. 

Its your part of the offering.

“Okay. I guess... I’ll eat it after.”

There was silence then, broken only by the flickering, popping flames.

“Um,” she began, not sure how to say what was on her mind. “Do you have... a name?”

He just looked at her, and she found herself tripping over her words. “I mean, like ... I’m Allie, and a-also a human, and you’re the Slenderman but what is your....name...?”

His voice resonated through her. 

I don’t have one.

“Oh. Okay.”

She felt a tickle at the back of her neck and reached a hand up to brush against the spot. It was wet.

“Oh...” she breathed, slowly looking up.

The Slenderman’s head lifted too, back to the clouds that had obscured the moon.

Winter comes swiftly. I hope you’re prepared, Allie.

Allie jolted again at the sound of her name, cheeks pinkening slightly. She looked back up at the snow beginning to gently fall in cottonball flakes. It melted where it touched her, him, the fire, the ground, and she felt her chest tighten. It was too soon, it was way too soon.

“I’m not,” she choked out. “I’m not ready...”

The Slenderman observed her for a long, silent moment, then smoothly got to his feet. He was a giant compared to her. 

A shame, he said almost to himself, then he reached a tendril between the wood to pull the cougar from the fire. 

The sharp cracking of bones filled the air, but Allie didn’t look up from where a single snowflake had landed on the ground in front of her and stayed. 

When next she looked up, The Slenderman was gone and she was alone.
She stood on aching legs and went into her cabin, locking the door behind her and leaving the fire to burn.

Chapter Text

The snow hadn’t stuck to the ground, and so Allie’s work continued without ceasing. 

Every day she got up at dawn and foraged until she’d gathered enough of nature’s bounty that it filled her bag, or until she couldn’t feel her hands.

Every day that passed, she waited and watched for Dawn, but went to bed discouraged and alone.

The day after Samhain, she’d woken up to a layer of frost over everything, coating the wood for the pyre she’d built for the Slenderman’s ceremony. She had dismantled it and scattered the ashes, reclaiming the wood she could still use and the turnip, which was only burnt on one side.

The Slenderman had told her that she had to eat the turnip, but not why. She’d been so freaked out by the snow that she’d failed to take it in that night, but as she sliced its flesh and added it to a salad of dried mushrooms and a cooked fish she’d speared the day before, she hoped that whatever blessings, luck or symbolism imparted by consuming the vegetable didn’t have an expiration date.

It hadn’t tasted that bad, and she stretched it into two and a half meals.

Fast forward a week later and she had amassed a good deal of food to ration through the days she couldn’t be outside.

Her major food sources, the rabbits in the woods and the fish in the lake would soon become unavailable to her, so she caught as many of each as she could with the daylight hours provided to her.

It was at the lake that she encountered him again. Her monster. The Slenderman.
Something had changed between them on Samhain night, and for once, it seemed to be for the better.

Allie was knee deep in the water when she heard footsteps on the loose stones behind her.
She didn’t even turn around, not at first. She could feel him in her mind. It was like there was a layer of distortion that preceded his thoughts, and his presence, and dipping into it made her head fuzzy.

“You’re not going to push me in, are you?” She called out loud over the water.  She got no response.

Then, she heard a gentle splashing and turned to see him bending to drink only a few feet away from her.

He let the icy water swirl around his wrists and contorted so that the only other part of his body to touch the surface was his face.

She couldn’t help but pause and watch the way his tongue changed shape to scoop the water into his black mouth, watch the way his throat muscles contracted and shifted to swallow it down.

He wasn’t a messy drinker, there was no sound except a gentle lapping and no  disturbance except for the ripples of water extending further and further outward from their starting point.

Allie’s fishing spear was loose in her fingers, the tip in the lake as she stared.

Wow.

You’re staring at me.

His voice slithered into her mind without any resistance or pain and she jumped a little and turned away. 

“S-Sorry! I just... You’re... Uh...”

I understand that you’ve never seen one of my kind before. But staring is rude.

She took the admonishment like a guilty child but then she licked her lips. “One of your kind? So.... there are more? You’re not the only one?”

The Slenderman finished his drink before answering.

There are more.

“Oh my god. That’s... that’s...”

She was stuck between ‘incredible’ and ‘terrifying,’ and what came out was something like “Incredifying!”

The monster’s head lifted from the surface of the lake, water dripping from his chin as he licked his lips clean and then turned his head to look at her.

I may have a limited grasp on your language, human; but even I know that’s not a real word.

Allie’s face went red. “Shut up,” she muttered, turning back to her task.
She saw a fish’s dark shadow and aimed her spear a fraction of an inch below it before she struck. She missed.
The Slenderman watched her curse as she slid off the rock she was standing on into deeper water.

That looks terribly inefficient.

She stiffened and made a face at him as she resumed her permission on the rock.“Its you. You’re scaring away all the fish!”
He snorted, looking at her bag, which only held two small whitefish.

My presence here doesn’t affect your lack of skill. 

She rounded on him as he stood. “Lack of skill?! I’ve been fishing for months! I’ve had to, to survive. I doubt you could do better!”

He cocked his head to one side as if considering whether to rise to her challenge, his mouth twisting into a frown. She was afraid she’d been too bold, and took a step back when he released seven of his tendrils. They uncoiled from his back and writhed slightly at the tips, but he held them still with pinpoint precision as he watched the water.

Then, all of them shot into the lake at once, going taut and barely making a splash.

Allie watched with disbelief. 

No way.

But when he withdrew the black tentacles, glistening and shiny in the daylight— each of them had a weakly wriggling fish speared on the end.

Her mouth dropped open.

“...H-Holy shit.”

He drew the fish close to himself, inspecting each one, and then the tendrils snapped out, sending the fish bouncing over the ground next to her bag.
One of his large hands moved to adjust his tie, as the appendages slid back out of sight.

She didn’t need him to say it. She didn’t want him to say it either. But he did and it made a flush of embarrassment and shame colour her cheeks.

Good luck with your fishing, Allie.

She could hear the smugness in his voice as he turned and walked away and it rankled her.
To make matters worse, she ended up catching nothing else that day.

She found herself scowling the whole way back to her cabin, but once she was inside, looking down at the fish in her bag, it made her smile and then laugh.

She was still smiling when she prepared them.

No matter how she searched and how long she waited, Dawn didn’t come back, and that dampened her spirits by bedtime.
Her dreams were fretful, she was a crow following a doe escaping danger after danger on ebony wings.
She woke to her heart racing and her friend’s name on her lips.

Shrugging on her coat after breakfast, she pulled open her front door to find the black suited monster directly in front of it.

She let out a shriek of surprise and then  slammed the door shut, her heart kicking into gear.

“YOU COULD HAVE KNOCKED!” She shouted through the door, one hand on her chest.

I was waiting for you to wake up. You slept a long time.

It was a familiar feeling now, the tendril of thought that wasn’t her own slipping into her mind. It helped compose her.

When she was calm, Allie opened the door again. The Slenderman brought his hands up, fingers curling into the doorframe on either side of her as he pushed his head into her space. She tried not to recoil.

You smell...off.

“I...what?” She asked distractedly, leaning away from his presence. “I haven’t showered in a week.”

Its not that. You smell... subdued. You are upset. Why?

She lifted a hand of her own and rubbed at her eyes. “Ah.... Uh... I miss my pet deer, I guess.”

You don’t see it as a pet. You see it as your friend.

She frowned at him. “Okay you know how you said staring was rude? Reaching into someone else’s mind without permission is rude.”

Is it? I will... try and refrain. Understand that this is the only way I can communicate with you. I don’t speak.

“Have you ever tried?” She lowered her hand, curiosity taking over her annoyance. “Why are you here, at my house?”

I have not tried to speak in a millennium. It did not go well last time.

Allie’s mouth opened to ask, but he cut her off.

I have another task for you.

She frowned. “Another one? If you want breakfast, you’re going to have to hunt it yourself. I’m going out to look for Dawn again, today. I’m busy.”

He let out a growl, his lip curling, but then checked himself. 

It is an easy enough task for you. And if you complete it... I will reward you.

Allie’s arms crossed as she thought it over. “What’s the reward?”

Anything you ask for. ...Within reason, he warned, then withdrew from her front door.

She exhaled and stepped outside.

“Anything I want? What’s the task?”

The Slenderman straightened to his full height and his face split in a smile. It was actually kind of alarming.

You must find me.

“I’m sorry, what?” She stared up at him suspiciously. “You’re standing right—“

And then his body flickered and vanished.

“—here. ...Dammit.”

She spun in a circle, looking at the trees. “That’s not fair! You can teleport! How am I supposed to find you, the park is huge!!!”

She yelled out to the trees, but got no reply. So she shoved her hands in her pockets and started walking. 
This didn’t detract from her plans too much, she’d look for Dawn while she was out looking for the Slenderman. Two birds and all that. 

She didn’t have a clue where to begin looking though. 

Maybe the lake? He seemed to consider that the only water source nearby. Or it was his favourite...

She took ten minutes and trekked down to the edge of the water, but there was no sign of him, not even on the island.
No Dawn either.

She kicked a pebble across the stony beach and then headed back into the trees, picking a random direction and then going that way. She didn’t have much of a hope that she’d find the Slenderman in the woods, the park was massive. She only had seen a tiny part of it, according to the logger’s map she’d once possessed. And yet...

“What’s your angle?” She muttered to herself, stepping into a clearing and then looking around the trees. The branches of each were almost completely barren, a few stray brown leaves still desperately clinging to life on the ends of a few. “This is stupid!” She called out again, but again, there was no response, only her voice echoing into emptiness. Scowling, she continued on.

She could have spent an hour out there, or maybe two. Who was to tell? All that mattered was eventually she got hungry.

“I give up!” She called out abruptly. “I’m going home. Find yourself.”
Turning on her heel to stalk back the way she came, she froze midstep.
All of a sudden, the clear path she’d taken through the trees that marked the way back, it was just gone.

“Oh come on,” she breathed, spinning in a slow circle. She wasn’t lost, he was changing the forest. Changing the game.
“Not this again!”

She took off into a run, but the woods were maze like now, areas she knew previously now strange. She almost slammed into a tree in her race to escape, but she was all turned around. The trees seemed identical, her perception all skewed. “Stop this!”

You’re using the wrong senses.

She snarled when she heard his voice in her mind and whirled, trying to find its origin. “I don’t have any other ones!” She shouted at him, fists clenched. 

“Let me go home, I’m done playing your game!”

Find me, was all he said.

Allie kicked a tree trunk and bruised her toe. “Find you?! Find you how?!”

The trees were starting to crowd in on her even though she knew they weren’t moving. Her breathing and her heart rate accelerating.

Close your eyes. Breathe.

It was like a cool touch, soothing and calming her agitation. 
She stopped walking, clenching and unclenching her fists, before she conceded and shut her eyes.
Okay. Now what?

Find me.

Allie listened, but the only sound was the soft brush of wind through the branches, stirring the leaves underfoot.
Use different senses?
She slowly let her fists go limp and took a deep, steady breath. Then another.
The air scented of loam and rotting leaves, with just a bite of cold. It smelled like it was going to snow again. She wasn’t looking forwards to that.

With her eyes shut all she could see was black.

“This is dumb,” she muttered to herself again, but didn’t open them.

The breeze played with her hair and chilled the back of her neck, slipping down her coat and making her shiver.
Then a thought occurred to her.

You’re using the wrong senses. The memory of his words was strong. 

The problem was, she didn’t know how her ‘extra sense’ worked. She didn’t know how to make it do what she wanted, and she couldn’t control it. 

Allie took a deep breath and extended her hand from her side, at the same time reaching out that piece of her consciousness that could travel, searching for him.

She found nothing, not at first. Then, it was like a silver spark lit behind her eyes and then she brushed up against him.

Very good, his voice rumbled through her. Follow it. Find me.

I can’t see where I’m going, she protested, trying to grab onto him as an anchor, but he shook her off and disappeared from her telepathic sense again. 

Too bad. Find me.

Allie opened her eyes with an exhale of breath and then frowned. “How the hell do I track a mind?”

Looking around, it seemed the forest was back to normal. She felt her anxiety lift from her shoulders as she recognized the familiar landmarks.
She was close to home, but if she did indeed follow him, it would take her deeper then she’d ever gone before.
Allie hesitated. “You’re not going to punish me for not doing this thing, are you?”
She wasn’t expecting an answer and she didn’t receive one.
“Augh.... Fine.”

One step, then two, then another and another. Towards the deeper parts of the forest. 

She focused on walking and not running into anything as she extended her mind outwards, trying to envision a blanket settling over the trees, all of it seeking for that light, that spark she’d found before.

She kept her third eye open as the trees became bigger and older, lichen growing on the branches like the beards on the faces of scruffy old men. The path she was taking became a series of uphill and downhill obstacles, roots reaching up to trip her, branches grasping for her clothes, her hair.

She was truly in the wilds now.

Then, she stopped in place as the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She’d felt something, something not only in her head. She was being watched.

Not by one thing, it didn’t feel like a singular being, more like a multitude of them all coalesced into one presence.
She felt a strange tug behind her navel that started her walking again. Something out there was calling to her.

“Hello?”

She spoke at her normal volume but it felt like a yell.
The trees hushed her steps and her voice.

Something was happening, or was going to happen, she could feel the tension in the air. It crackled like static, like lightning in the air, invisible to the eye but just as deadly.

She closed her eyes, felt her body sway a little as she stumbled slowly closer, powerless to resist.

She didn’t see him step into her path. 

Don’t.

His voice came to her again, and it was close but also so far away.

That bright spark that was his mind, his...soul. It was right there. Overshadowed by.... whatever was singing to her with such a compelling song.

Look at me. Open your eyes. You have to stop listening to it.

But she was right where she needed to be, the presence beckoned her.
Home beckoned her. 

Allie...

It wanted her to follow, it wanted her to see...

Allie!

Something heavy knocked her feet out from under her, and she let out a yelp as her eyes flew open and she hit the ground.
The Slenderman was crouched over her, mouth open and expression twisted in a strange way.

“Wh-What the hell?” She stammered out, realizing that she could no longer see anything with her mind or hear that alluring siren call.
She got to her feet, and he moved a step back to give her room. “You... what... Where?”
The forest was utterly unfamiliar, and her legs ached. She hadn’t walked that far, had she?

You couldn’t hear me, could you?

His face smoothed over as he bent his head down towards her. Almost... checking her for injury.

You were utterly lost in its call.

Allie winced and rubbed her side, where a rock had bruised her through her coat when he had knocked her down.

“What? What is ‘it?’ What was that?”

The Slenderman grimaced. The expression was recognizable even without having eyes.

It is best if you go home now. You’ve passed the test.

“What aren’t you telling me?” She demanded, hands on her hips. “You’re keeping something from me, aren’t you? Something I should know.”

His lips slid back away from his teeth and he growled at her. 

It’s nothing to concern you. Go home.

Allie set her lips into a thin line and then lashed out with her mind, trying to catch him unaware and find the answers herself.

He reacted immediately, lunging at her both mentally and physically. Her back slammed to the ground and the air left her lungs in a bark of pain as he pressed her against the earth with his hand.

You are poking your nose into things far beyond you. Go. Home.

Allie winced at the pressure on her chest and in her mind. “I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt me? All I did was—“

All you did, he snarled, snapping his teeth next to her face, was attempt to meddle in something that would’ve gotten you killed!

She flinched away from the teeth but then anger flared inside of her. “Something affected me and you’re not telling me what it is. I have a right to know if I’m being fucking mind controlled by something out here! What is it?”

He just snarled again, wordlessly.

“Why are you acting like this?!”

BECAUSE I’M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!!!

The roar tore through her mind and ears with a blast of sound and static power and it left an aching headache in its wake.
Allie just stared up at the monster as his mouth slowly sealed shut and he lifted his hand from her chest.
He stood and turned away.

Go home.

His words were cold and empty. Allie didn’t say anything until she’d gotten back to her feet and taken another look around herself.
For some reason she was feeling ...emotional. Her voice was quiet and small when it came to her lips.

“I have... no idea where home is?”

He paused, then turned back, and she thought he was going to say something, maybe apologize, but he just lifted a long claw and pointed to the trees behind her.

Then, he left her there, heading deeper into the forest, his suit blending with the dark bark of the trunks until she couldn’t distinguish him any more.

With nothing else to do, Allie turned around and started making her way home, trying not to cry.

Chapter Text

The forest looked the same every direction she turned, and there was no supernatural influence in it this time.
Allie was just very, very lost.

“You gotta be kidding me,” she muttered into the quiet as she sidestepped a fallen log, and stepped in a small animal hole instead. 
The trees were unfamiliar, their dark bark and lichen laden branches foreboding and severe, and to be honest, she really didn’t like it.
This part of the park was older and untouched by humans and possibly anyone other then the Slenderman himself.

That strange siren song she’d been listening to, at some point it had taken over her body because she had no memory of walking halfway into a mountain’s foothills, and she was starting to suspect that there had been unnatural shenanigans in how she’d walked so far.
Coming out onto an exposed cliff that extended down below her several feet in a steep slope, she took a moment to look out at the forest, extending down to glittering water, several hundred metres to the east. Was that her lake? How far had she travelled?!

What was the name of that lake by her cabin anyway?
‘Mal’— something. She’d seen it labelled on the map so many weeks... or was it months? Ago. 

Time was slipping through her fingers like sand, mainly because she tried to live each day with her focus on the present. Thinking into the past resulted in frustration, and looking to the far future was likely to give her a headache. But the more recent future... that was a different story.
Allie only saw the cold of swirling snow and struggle there, so she never looked long.

She stepped back from the ledge, since she couldn’t safely traverse the slope at its current point.
But maybe, she thought to herself, trying to regain some optimism, Maybe it levelled out further down the side?
So she picked her way carefully down the unseen trail, horizontal to the cliff.
The ground was full of stones and roots that protruded from the soil and it was slow going, but if she rushed and broke her leg here, she’d be in real trouble. Besides, the muscles in her lower half ached enough that the slow pace was a blessing in disguise.

While she walked, she found herself muttering under her breath, mainly to keep herself focussed and occupied then for anyone or anything to hear.

“Stupid monster. Stupid Slenderman,” she enunciated the word almost mockingly, as she found a resurgence of that cocktail of emotion from before. “Stupid of him to have me tramp all over the blasted forest, stupid of him to expect me to just... do whatever he asks? He’s not going to eat me, I don’t have to put up with his shit. He needs me.”

Her footsteps paused as she recalled his angry outburst.

I’m trying to protect you!

She scoffed, trying not to think too deep into it.

“He could protect me better if he stopped being so fucking secretive! I don’t know what I’m supposed to avoid— mysterious intentions and feelings??? How the fuck do I guard against that?!”

She kicked a rock and then kept going, using a tree to steady herself as the path she was taking got steeper.

“Why’s he trying to protect me anyway? Because he’ll be alone if he doesn’t? I’m not—“
Another pause and then she huffed out a breath, raising her voice. “I’m not fragile, you know? I can- I don’t need protecting anyway!”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted the Slenderman to hear her or if she was just venting out loud.

Either way, the outburst of annoyance, exasperation and irritation was just the burst she needed to keep going, her feet directed towards the lake she’d seen glittering in the sun.

It took hours out of her day to make it to the edge of the lake, only to realize that she was on the wrong side.

With curses on her tongue and stumbling, tired feet she continued walking, this time around the lakeshore.
Several times she slid into the water up to her waist when the shore disappeared from under her, or she slipped on the rocks and by the time she made it back to familiar surroundings, the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon and she was in a word, quite irate.

Allie stopped several feet away from the lapping water and dropped into a sitting position right on the stones that dotted the lakeside. Some were sharp and poked against her damp legs but she was too tired to care.

The waters before her darkened as the sun slipped lower towards the far edge of the earth, and she just watched the sunset full of strange emotions and questions she was sure she’d never get answers for.
Her hands curled into the rocks beside her, slowly and deliberately squeezing them in her fists until the jagged points bit into the soft flesh of her palms and fingers. Not enough to bleed, but enough to hurt.

It was the key to unlocking her frustration, as she tipped her head back, took a deep breath of the crisp, biting air, and then just let all the emotions surge out of her in a scream that echoed over the lake and startled the birds from the trees.

When the sun vanished and dusk set in, she finally got to her feet and made her way home.

The trees all but bowed out of his way as he strode purposefully through the woods. Animals fled his approach, his power seeping through the forest ahead of him like insidious tendrils of mental anguish.

He was in a black mood, stalking through the woods like a tiger on the warpath.

The branches creaked all around him, twisted branches grasping at his suit but sliding off harmlessly, unable to even tear the fabric. 

His clawed hands were held loosely at his sides, but he kept opening and closing them as he walked.

What had he been thinking?

He’d knowingly encouraged his human to experiment with her abilities—and hadn’t thought of what else was out there waiting to draw her in and devour her, mental prowess or no. His hands wrapped around a tree trunk, tightening unconsciously.

He’d been careless. The Forest was hungry, missing the steady influx of supernatural energy he’d always provided it, and it was reaching for anything to sustain it. He couldn’t fault it that. But he could fault himself.

A snarl rippled up through his throat and out past his sharp teeth and he lashed out, shearing through the bark in his grip as his claws dug deep, as he strangled the life from the tree until finally with a splintering and a tortured groaning of wood, he twisted the top half from the bottom and hurled it somewhere else in the forest.

A flock of crows took to the sky, agitated and cawing their displeasure.

He roared at them then, and faced with half a tree still sticking haphazardly out of the forest floor, left it there, some of his anger satiated. 

Allie...

Her face flashed into her mind, expression confrontational, grey eyes gleaming like quicksilver in the sun. She had wolf eyes. He’d noticed that about her the very first time he’d seen her, and that thought had only been confirmed by how much she got angry. And especially angry at him.

The Slenderman would even dare to say her temper could rival his at times.

Why hadn’t he wanted to tell her about the Doorway? Why was he keeping the Forest secret? She’d never go into it, not willingly. He knew her survival instincts outweighed her curiosity most times and that... even if the Doorway was open, she’d stay away. A realm of monsters where humans lose their minds without protection...

He growled quietly and continued on his way.

The sun was travelling west, and would continue to do so until it met the horizon, where it would be met by the advent of night. 

He could utilize his power to transport himself to the Doorway instantaneously, but at the moment, he was perfectly happy with walking the path to the foot of the mountain.

He could feel it, he could always feel it tugging at his bones and gently caressing his mind, a call even he had a hard time resisting at times.

But he’d shut the Door, and for a good reason too. It wouldn’t open again unless the criterion he set was met, and he was nowhere close to reaching that goal yet.

Twenty years later and he’d made no progress. 

His shoe crunched down on something and he paused to look. Just the skeleton of a moose, picked clean by the wolves he knew lived and roamed around the mountains. Another reason to keep Allie away.
He sniffed the cold air, but if the packs were around, he couldn’t scent them. They would never fuck with him anyway. Animals were smart, much smarter then humans gave them credit for. Even that deer had fled when it had realized that he was planning on eating it. He was a little annoyed that it hadn’t returned, his human had relied on it for more then he’d anticipated, and if it was possible he’d have hunted it down for her, but all deer looked the same to him.

The lilting, crooning song in his being, the song of the Forest was getting louder and more insistent and The Slenderman knew he was getting closer.
Above the trees, the mountain range loomed, jagged and imposing but he paid no heed to its sharp peaks, his attention became fixed on a cave he could see yawning at its base.
The cave was big enough for him to stand at his full height, and in the winter, it was often completely coated in ice. 

He made the trek up the precarious slope towards its mouth easily, passing trees that leaned and struggled to find purchase in the gravelly earth, and when his hand touched the rough rock of the cave wall, the doorway called to him, as if welcoming him home. The back of his neck tingled with pleasure, spreading down his spine and releasing his tendrils from where they were resting. He reacted the same way, every time.

The cave remained large and he didn’t even need to stoop as he walked along the smooth floor towards the old, wooden door at the back. It was set into a lintel of stone, and had corroded and oxidized iron bars running across its surface in places to support the aged wood.

The handle was silver and shaped like a snarling wolf’s head and he knew that even if he tugged on it, it would remain firmly closed, and no matter how he clawed at the door, or tried to dismantle it, it would bear no mark of his effort. It was beyond him, and he knew that from experience.
He reached out to it, his mind testing the edges of the door. Testing the seal. 

Come back, come, come back, come home.
The Forest called him from the other side, and it was almost torturous. Almost. He’d gotten used to it begging him to break his word and return. But today, something was differed.

Not until I have done what I came to do, He told it.

It will be what it will be, the door replied almost giddily. We have sensed another.
A child of the Forest, she will soon be ours.

His hackles raised and his power expanded against it before he reined it in.

She is not yours. You cannot have her.

We will have her, it insisted, a strange maliciousness in its intent. It is only a matter of time. We are waiting, we are always waiting.

And he could see it too. The Doorway was invisible to humans that had no connection to the Other. Most came to this cave, saw it ended only several hundred yards away, and left.

But Allie... she would see the Door. She would again be ensnared in its sweet seductive call. And since she had no experience with it, and had no bargain with it or the realm beyond—

We will accept her, the lost child of the Forest. 

It would open and it would take her.

His sudden snarl of realization echoed off the cave walls and his insides felt cold.
How could he have overlooked this loophole?
He couldn’t leave the park, but all she had to do was follow the song and discover the door...
And find her doom on the other side.

I will not let you, he spat at the motionless thing. She is not yours to take, she... she is mine!

Too agitated to focus on what he was saying, he turned his back on the Doorway and fled the cave at high speed.
Gravel flew as he skidded to a stop halfway down the slope, on all fours and ....was he shaking?

Calm, he had to find his calm. But a stifling maelstrom of emotion had gripped his senses. 

Not things he felt often, either.

Anger, worry, possession... fear?

He would deal with the Doorway and then he would go see her. 
Convince himself that everything was alright. But what was he going to do?

Another snarl left his throat as he spied a large boulder resting nearby. If he couldn’t prevent the Forest from calling to his human, then he might as well prevent his human from getting to it.

He approached the rock and wrapped his arms around it, heaving it from the earth. Numerous small animals and crawling creatures fled as their shelter was unearthed and he didn’t feel a single thing for them as he let his power flood his body and that body flicker. He was too focused.

Within a blink he vanished, rock and all, reappearing at the mouth of the cave. 

He bared his fangs with exertion as he dropped the massive stone in front of the entrance. 
It made the ground shake, and blocked almost three quarters of the cave opening, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

Looking up, he spotted an overhang several meters above, and teleported himself up there, fingers digging into the rocky face of the mountain as he gauged how best to execute his plan.
The Slenderman hissed, looking up. He still wasn’t high enough. 

By tendril and by claw, he climbed the jagged cliff, and when he was on top, most of the park was laid out before him. Almost like a living painting. The glittering lakes, the rivers of red and gold and dark green trees. Far to the west, a road, and beyond that, a town. To the east, more wild-lands, and Allie.

The sun was setting, and up here, it was nothing short of exquisite.

He’d never understand his closest kin, who chose the smog ridden, bustling, toxic metropolises of the humans as his home. The Slenderman couldn’t imagine living with his lungs full of choking smoke, gorging on unhealthy people who indulged in unhealthy habits. As greasy and fatty as the food they consumed.
But, he supposes that if his kin hadn’t payed him a visit in the first place, he wouldn’t be in this ...mess.

As the sun slid behind the crust of the earth and a shadow fell over the land, he turned to the cliff he was standing on. It seemed sturdy enough, but something of his strength could easily destabilize that.

And destabilize it he did. 

One hard stomp was all it took for the shelf he was on to crack and weaken, and then he vanished before the rockslide could get dust on his suit.

Watching from afar, there was a muted dull roar as part of the mountain came down, slipping and sliding and burying the cave entirely under rubble and dislodged trees.

He let himself smile, a low rumbling purr vibrating up from his throat as indication of just how pleased he was with his work.

The last few pebbles fell and bounced down the slide and then he turned away.
He had a human to check on.

Dinner was dried rabbit meat and roasted nuts, and that bag of chips she’d found by the dead hiker. It was a guilty pleasure, they tasted amazing. 

She was tending to the fire when she felt it. A light pressure in her mind, a foreign-familiar touch.

Allie?

She felt her lips thin into a line and didn’t answer.

Speak to me.

It wasn’t a command, but it wasn’t not a command either. She sighed, and reluctantly opened her mind more, connecting the other side of their bridge. She could sense he was feeling...something, but she was too annoyed to think much of it.

Come to yell at me again? Or make me jump through more hoops?

There was a silence from him, but then he spoke. A single, simple word.

No. 

There was a creaking of wood around her and she looked towards her door, crumpling up the empty bag of chips and tossing it into the fire. After a few seconds more there was a light tap-tap-tapping on the wood. Claws.

She got up from where she was sitting crosslegged on the floor and went to open the door.
As expected, the Slenderman was there. He withdrew the hand he’d been using to knock. She just crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

He was crouched on all fours, and when she looked directly at him, she couldn’t help but marvel how well the glow of the fire inside fell upon his face. She would have thought more about it, but she was still mad. “Well?”
He shifted almost uncomfortably, and then turned his head away. His voice was hesitant and cautious.

I have dealt with the problem, and I have come to... give you your prize.

“My prize?”

She couldn’t help how sour she sounded, but it didn’t seem to affect him, since he was still staring off into the dusk. “What prize?”

He turned his head back towards her and tipped it in a way that she recognized meant he was thinking. About what, she had no idea. 

You played my game. It didn’t go as planned, but that is in the past. I will give you one thing. Whatever you wish for, if it is within my power to grant it, it will be yours. Just... name it.

Allie stared at him for a long while, recalling the events of the day. Some of her hostility came back to the surface as she examined how she’d been treated like a child sticking her nose into business that didn’t belong to her... how he’d reacted.. and how she had felt.

“I...”

He leaned forwards a little, clearly waiting.

Allie took a deep breath and then fixed the monster with a firm expression on her face. 

“I want an apology.”

He reared back a little, and let out a strange sound. Was that laughter? She glared. “I knew it. You’re fucking laughing! Get out of here!”

He shook his head, lifting both hands in a peace making gesture.

No, No, I was just... surprised. Your prize, you wish for me to say sorry?

He was confused. Why would anyone value words over action?

She chewed on her lip. “And mean it,” she added, leaning against the cabin’s doorframe. “If you don’t... I won’t speak to you for at least two weeks.”

The Slenderman considered this for several moments, then inclined his head.

Then an apology you shall have. A moment, to gather my thoughts.

Allie’s lips quirked, just the tiniest amount. “Take your time.”

Finally, the monster shifted on his heels and then nodded.

I... did not honour our agreement today. I was... distressed and I...

He paused, trying to figure out the right words. Allie’s frown softened slightly, some of the hostility leaving her face.

...I took it out on you. You were right to question me. I have been keeping secrets from you, knowledge that ordinarily would never concern you—

Her eyes narrowed, and he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. 

—But things have changed. I will answer as many questions you have for me providing—

Allie tilted her head and waited for the caveat. 

—providing I have the answers for them.

Allie’s arms slowly uncrossed and she blinked. That wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be. It wasn’t exactly an apology, but she was feeling better even so.

“I accept your apology. Are we friends now?”

He seemed to stiffen at the term. Allie wondered why. She tried a different tactic. “What about mutually beneficial forest roommates, then? Are we that?”

After a moment, he nodded.

Yes to... whatever you just said.

Then, he tilted his head at her. 

Was that really all you wanted?

Allie thought about it a moment, then laughed. It felt good to laugh again. “I mean, it was on the top of my list, yeah.”

He chuckled in her head.

You have a list?

She shrugged self consciously. “I guess if you want to get me something, some ice cream would be great, I guess.. But,” she raised her voice a little when she saw him shift to get up. “I want my questions answered first!”

The Slenderman’s mouth opened, then shut and he let out a low grumble, looking away from her again. After a moment of deliberation, he turned back to face her. 

Very well. Ask.

“What happened to me?I don’t remember how I got so far from...”

Home. This was home now.

The Slenderman let out a pensive sound. Almost a hum.

You tapped into a powerful source of energy. It is called the Forest. It is ....Other, shall we say. You... You are also Other, as am I. It wanted you, so it called you— and you heard.

Allie frowned again. “Is it dangerous?”

The reply was a low growl in her mind.

Very.

“Okay, so what do I do?”

He shook his head again. 

You do nothing. I have solved the issue. The Doorway was sealed, and now it is inaccessible to you.

“What’s... the Doorway?”

An entrance into the Forest. There are multitudes of them all over this Earth, but some only powerful beings can operate.

A shiver slid down her spine, partly from the cold, partly from imagining such a thing.

“So... the Forest... is it a forest?”

The Slenderman’s voice resonated through her. 

In a way, yes. In a way no. It is the between, where the Other go. It is deadly to humans that enter without protection.
Should you step foot beyond the Doorway— you would lose your mind. 

Oh. Allie shuddered, giving in to the crawling sensation in her flesh. “That sounds... horrifying. And you said you... did something to stop it?”

They cannot be destroyed. I have tried, lifetimes ago. But I have ...prevented passage.

She nodded. “O-Okay. So... wait... Lifetimes ago? Just how old are you?”

He laughed, and the sound was ...almost warm. 

Its discourteous to ask slenderkin their age. How old are you?

She blinked, then frowned. “Hey, that’s no fair. I have no idea when my birthday is. All I knew when I got to this place...was my name.”

That sparked something in her, a memory, and she looked up at the monster comfortably sitting and chatting with her with a strange look in her eye.

“Hey, remember how I asked you if you had a name?”

He nodded slowly. He didn’t like the way she was staring at him. It looked like trouble. He answered carefully.

I do. Why do you ask?

“Can... can I give you one?” 
Allie sounded almost... shy.

His small smile froze in place. 

You wish...to gift me a name? Why?

She blew out a breath, now the one not meeting his eyeless gaze.

“Your current title is ‘The Slenderman’ or a bunch of other ones I can’t pronounce, a proper name would make it much easier for me to address you and if you like it, you could add it to your list.” She shrugged, trying to act like it was no big deal.

I suppose... do you have a name in mind?

She laughed a little, suddenly nervous. “Uh... actually? Yeah. I do. You want to hear it?”

Do I have any other choice?

“No.”

She gave him a hesitant smile. “I mean you do, but you’re already here, so...”

He sighed.

Tell me the name you have chosen for me.

Allie licked her lips, then cleared her throat, looking away again. “Right, well uh... its... Noel.”

The Slenderman leaned his face closer to hers, and Allie tried not to flinch at the sight of those teeth.

No.

She scowled, her own mouth opening. “Come on, you haven’t even tried it! Just... say it, try it on, see how it feels!”
If he had eyes, he would be rolling them.

You really want to name me Noel?

Allie’s cheeks colour. “It just sounded... right, okay? Don’t judge me, Monster-without-a-name!”

He growled, showing his teeth, but there was no anger to it. He gives her another sigh.

If I must.

Her smile widened and he wasn’t sure why he liked it so much. Maybe it was because it made her eyes almost glow.
With another grumble, he thought on the name. 

Noel... It wasn’t terrible. A little to short for his liking, but it was her name for him. Not his name for him.

Noel...

He tasted how it sounded, then looked at his human again, who was looking back at him eagerly.

This is the name you’ve chosen?

She nodded. “Yeah, do... do you like it?”

A pause. She was too close, he was letting her get too close and it made him feel strange. His words are halting.

It is... adequate.

Allie’s grey eyes widened with surprise and relief. “R-Really? You don’t hate it?”

The newly christened Noel exhaled. Something was happening here, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

I do not hate it.

He was treated to her smile again. What was this feeling?

He shifted in place, a little unnerved.

Human.. It is late. You should sleep. Go inside where it is warm.

She frowned, but then shivered. “I am a little cold... fine. ..Goodnight, Noel.”
She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to wish him a good night. Did he even sleep?
Allie retreated back into the cabin as she watched him get to his feet.
She peered up at him from beneath the top of her doorway, wanting to at least watch him leave.

The Slenderman, Noel... He looked up at the clear night sky before down at her.

Goodnight, Allie.

And then he left, turned around and made his way back into the trees until he was swallowed up by the shadows... like always.

Allie’s lips curved into a smile, and she moved to close the door, whispering one last time into the dark forest; “Goodnight.”

Noel moved through the forest back towards the mountains. He’s not sure if he should classify this day as a good one or not. He acquired a name, and accomplished sealing the Doorway... but... he was feeling strange.

Allie had spoken to him so casually. As if she wouldn’t mind being his friend, even though he wasn’t human.
It didn’t sit right with him.
Michaelis had been right, it seemed. He couldn’t see humans as anything other then....tools, and food.
That was disheartening.

His steps carried him through the park, until he could see twinkling lights in the distance.
The lights of a truck stop on the edge of the highway.
He gauged his hunger, then approached the forest’s edge. The highway was empty, but there was a semi truck loitering in the parking lot of the gas station.
What was it Allie had said? She wanted ice cream?

He weighed the pros and cons. Pros, he’d make her happy, and that was something he wanted to see more often. He’d experienced her other ranges of emotions, as only natural for someone forced to survive in the wilderness, she wasn’t often positive.
It was rare to see her laugh or smile. Especially when he was around.

Would ice cream make her smile? Would it help him get over this... thing he had about humans and extending affection and friendship towards them?

Perhaps.

The only con he could see was that he’d have to leave the trees, and out there, he was more vulnerable.
But in the end, he made his decision, and slunk out of the tree line towards the asphalt road.
It smelled like exhaust, a recent passing vehicle leaving its mark.

On all fours he bounded across the hard, unfamiliar surface and concealed himself behind the gas station.
It was lit up, and he didn’t really want to be seen.
Slowly, he crept around to peer into the windows, crouching low to the ground. There was a female human youth behind the counter, obviously a worker and an adult male paying for the things he wanted.

Before he was spotted, Noel dipped back out of sight. 

How was he going to get the ice cream? And furthermore... did he even know what ice cream looked like?
When withdrawing, his shoulder bumped against the underside of the gas station’s lights, and it buzzed madly and then died.
There was an electronic jangle as the doors to the store slid open, and the man came out, two bags of snacks in his hands. He headed towards the truck and Noel followed, if only to see what he was going to do.
This caused him to pass beneath a security camera. The worker in the station was too busy on her phone, or she’d have seen the monstrously tall humanoid creature passing right outside.

The footage on the screen flickered but held steady, depicting the creature slowly stalking the unaware trucker on all fours, and then strange dark appendages emerging from its back to grab him.
The man screamed but all Noel wanted was the bags, and once he’d relinquished his chubby grip on them, the tendrils let go.
Noel let the trucker climb into his truck and lock the door, while he checked the bags with his long fingers in the bright glare of the headlights. Perfectly visible to the terrified man, who by now, had wet himself.

Then the trucker got the idea to get the hell out of dodge, and Noel let him. No one would believe him after all, monsters didn’t exist in the human collective consciousness, until they were right in their faces.
He took one bag, and discarded the other, standing to his full height and watching the red lights of the truck barrel away at high speed.
Bag full of gas station treats in hand, he let his power extend outwards and fill him, flickered, and vanished.

The wave of power hit the security camera pointed towards the parking lot, and the monitors inside the store and fried them. It even tampered with the girl’s phone and shut it off, as well as the lights overhead of the gas pumps.

No one would know what had happened until the next day, when the tapes would be reviewed, and humanity would once again be uncomfortably reminded that monsters did in fact, exist.

Chapter Text

 Allie woke to sunlight streaming down through her windows, illuminating the dust in the cabin.
She yawned and snuggled deeper beneath the bear pelt. It didn’t smell so bad anymore, and it was really good at keeping the heat trapped underneath it.

Birds were singing outside, she could hear them twittering cheerfully despite the cold.

“Mmm,” she said quietly, a sound of... contentment. What had she been dreaming about? It had been a nice dream, a peaceful one. Its calm suffused her as she stretched and sat up in her bed. 

The cabin was just as it always had been, and her stomach growled quietly while she rubbed her eyes.

“First order of the day,” she said with another yawn, running her hands through her pale hair to work out any tangles. “Breakfast.”

Allie swung her legs over the side of the bed and set them on the floor, right onto something squishy. The sensation sent a jolt of alarm shooting through her and she let out a yell, drew her feet up quickly and peered down at the floor with understandably concerned eyes.

“Wh-What the—?” She frowned at the mess all over her floor. Packages in bright colors with weird catchy names were strewn all over her cabin.

She located what she stepped on and gingerly picked it up. It was a plastic bag with several -now squashed- donuts in it.

Allie just stared at it for several seconds.

“...Huh?”

After gathering up all the snacks and taking inventory, it turned out that she had two packages of 3 glazed donuts with one slightly squished, two ‘family size’ bags of teriyaki beef jerky, one kitkat bar, one twix bar, two smarties packs that made a nice sound when she rattled them, and some kind of pecan tart wrapped in its own packaging. All of it sat in a pile on her counter as she put her boots and coat on to go outside. She also picked up her axe, resting it against her shoulder as she glanced back to the treats.

Where had it all come from?

The answer was laying right outside her door.
Noel was stretched out on his back in the middle of the loggers clearing, soaking up the abundant sunlight.
When Allie opened the door and saw him there, she jumped with surprise but didn’t scream.

Good morning. It is a lovely day.

He greeted her without even moving his head towards her. 
She peered out of her cabin up at the blue, cloudless sky and laughed softly.
“Yeah, it is... but what are you doing?”

He let out a low rumble, but it wasn’t a threatening sound. It was pleased. 

If you must know... I am sunning.

“I can see that,” Allie said, stepping out and closing her front door behind her. “But... why here?”

He lifted a hand and made a vague gesture with it before putting it back down and returning to silence. Allie arched an eyebrow, but didn’t comment as she walked towards the tree line, ready for a few hours of to cutting and stockpiling wood

Wait.

His voice was softer then usual, but maybe that was because he was so relaxed.  

She paused midstep and looked back over her shoulder at him. “Hm?”

Noel shifted until he was propped up on one arm and looking towards her. She couldn’t help but notice how human a pose it was. It looked... natural. She found herself licking her lips a little as she waited for him to continue. 

Did you see what I left you?

Allie’s eyes closed momentarily, a small smile lifting her lips. “You put those snacks there.”
He nodded his head, then tilted it.

I couldn’t... acquire any ice cream. Will they suffice?

She laughed. “I mean... yes? Of course! You didn’t have to get me anything— where did you find them?”

Noel chuckled in his throat, a rough, inhuman noise. 

Someone gave them to me.

Allie’s soft smile faded a little, her eyes narrowing slightly. “That’s a lie.” She said, her heart sinking. “I don’t need to see your face to know that. Did you... kill someone for them?”

It was a fact of her life that it wouldn’t surprise her if he did, but he shook his head.

I let him go. He fled in his vehicle. Unharmed.

Allie let the axe drop and she exhaled with relief. 

“Good, because... I don’t know if humans are all you can eat, but... eating them really isn’t the issue? Its when you kill them for sport and leave them in my path—“ She shuddered. “That... I don’t like that.”

He studied her quietly for some time before answering. 

I don’t need to eat humans. They’re slow and easy to catch, and offer entertainment before and as they die. But...
he continued slowly, noticing Allie’s queasy expression,

If it really upsets you... I will return to eating animals. There will be less humans in the park during the winter anyway, humans do not do well in extreme cold.

Allie laughed wryly, unsure how to react to that. “Except me, thanks to you.”
she opted to give him a brighter smile. “Don’t worry, I... no longer hold it against you... Thank you. That means... a lot to me.”

Noel just observed her quietly. She felt a heat climbing to her face under the intense scrutiny. “Wh-What?”
He ignored her question and tipped his chin towards the axe resting against her leg. 

Going hunting?

She blinked and looked down at it, then shook her head. “Uh, no actually... Tree felling? I’m going to need a lot of wood soon. I can feel the weather changing already. Want to help?”

it was a long-shot, and when Noel just lay back down in the grass, she laughed under her breath and shook her head a little. “Alright then.” 
Allie bent to pick up the axe again and rested it against her shoulder, turning to stride off. But Noel spoke again.

Allie...?
He sounded almost... uncertain. And it made her turn back to look at him. “Yeah?”

Noel had an arm lifted out towards her, fingers outstretched invitingly. In the direct sunlight his suit looked like it was made of multiple colours, none of them true black. Greens and blues and browns, all shifting together, catching the light.

Allie took a half-step back, entranced and confused. “Uhm...?””

Join me.
The words were surprisingly forceful. Not in a negative way, but in a way that sent her thoughts racing. “Uh,” she said again, and then found her voice. “I’m sorry, what?”

Noel curled the first two fingers of his extended hand slowly. The sun caught on his claws. 

It is warm. It is bright. You work too hard. Come, enjoy the sun with me while it lasts.

She wasn’t sure how to react. or what to say. Come, enjoy the sun with me.
His mouth opened widely then, an animalistic yawn distorting his features. She saw the tip of his dark tongue curl up and then his lips came down to cover those deadly fangs again.

She let out a breath at the sight.
“I don’t... think it would be a good idea,” she found herself saying. When he lowered his hand back to the earth, she felt a strange pang of emotion in her chest.
She backed up, needing to get out of there. “Enjoy the sun!” 
And before he could say anything else, she headed into the forest, and was gone.

The axe bit into the side of the tree with a thunk, and the vibration jarred her whole arm. Allie huffed and slid her hands closer to the handle to yank it free. Again. Again.
She threw herself wholly into the work.
He didn’t realize, maybe it had just been a kind gesture, like the snacks. He didn’t know about humans, he’d said it himself. So maybe laying next to him in the sun would have been a harmless—
A spike of wood flew from her wild swing and struck her in the cheek and she yelped, wiping her face. “Fuck. I can’t do this.”
After a quick moment of silence, she resumed her work. 

Chips of wood flew as she hacked at the trees with her thin arms until they were in pieces. The axe grew heavy in her grip eventually and it was when she was taking a break that he found her.

Uneven logs of wood were strewn about the forest floor from her mad frenzy to drown out her own thoughts, and four or five tree stumps with jagged cut marks remained.

Noel walked on his fours into the spot. Out of the sun, his suit had regained its dark amorphous colour. Allie looked up sharply when she heard a noise and then went back to what she was doing.
“Are you upset with me?” She asked in between swings.
She could hear him moving around behind her, but focused on her task.
After a moment, he answered her, his voice back to its usual guarded, too formal tone.

I am not upset. The sun spot was too warm anyway. I have come to offer you assistance in your daily work after all.

That made her turn around. “Really?”
She tipped her head to the side when she noticed that he had gathered up all her logs, holding them in curled tendrils.
“Those must come in handy,” she noted, then smiled a little, relieved she wouldn’t have to drag the logs back and forth.
He rumbled a little. 

They are useful. But they have their drawbacks.

Allie leaned against the axe. “How could tentacles have a downside? They’re like extra arms, and no one would complain about extra arms.”

That made him laugh and broke the strange tension in the air. His voice was warmer in her mind as he replied.

Unless they were looking for clothing. But... My tendrils are the most sensitive part of me, and surprisingly fragile. You humans stub your toes often enough that you should understand what it feels like to lose  or damage one.

She whistled lowly. “Do they grow back if you lose them?”
He nodded, hoisting another log into his arms. 

Slowly.

And that was the extent of their conversation for several more hours. 

Noel helped her carry the logs back to her cabin when she was done and helped stack them against the side of her home. And when the sun slipped behind clouds that had crept up during their work and their conversation, Allie leaned against one of the logging machines and pulled out the squished donut bag she’d put in her pocket earlier in the day.

The plastic crinkled and Noel looked over as Allie tore it open.
He watched her and she noticed, pulled a deformed donut from the packaging and offered it to him.
“Have you had donuts before?”

He moved closer to sniff at it. She held her hand steady as his lips parted slightly to better inhale the scent only a few inches from her flesh.
Then she pulled her hand back. “They’re sweet,” she clarified, then underhandedly tossed it at him.

It sailed through the air, then bounced off his tie and tumbled toward the ground. He caught it in his large, spindly white hand and then tipped his head down at it.

Allie laughed. “You were supposed to grab it out of the air with your mouth!” She then tore off a piece of another donut and demonstrated, neatly catching it in her teeth. “See?”

She chewed, savouring the sweetness. Never in her living memory had she had something that tasted as good—but she knew that was just because she didn’t remember.

Noel grumbled, still looking at the donut and the splotch of powdered sugar on his tie. 

You expect me to debase myself like a dog, so as to provide entertainment for you?

Allie rolled her eyes. This was more natural, more regular. More the way he spoke down to her all the time.
“Wow, drama king. I’m just... playing with you. Having fun, have you heard of it? You don’t have to do it, you could just say no.”
And like that, she felt better. Maybe it had just been in her head... those.. feelings.

He regarded the confection, and then his lip curled like he was disgusted with it. She sighed and opened her mouth.
“Look, if you don’t want t—“

Noel moved so fast he almost blurred, tossing the donut into the air and then snapping his teeth around it as it fell.

Allie found herself frozen in place as the sound of his powerful jaws coming together echoed in her ears. Her breath whooshed out as he opened and closed his mouth slightly, chewing with that same disdainful expression on his features.
After a moment, he spoke.

Too sweet. 

She had no idea how to respond to that. So instead, she just put the rest of hers into her mouth and watched him as he brushed the sugar from his tie. Sometimes he reminded her of an animal, and other times she was reminded that he was far older and more alien then she knew... and still, sometimes he acted like he was almost human.
It was unsettling, to say the least.

After chewing and swallowing she smiled a little and held up the bag. “Want another?”
She laughed as he looked at her, and felt his irritation through their mental link.
“Okay, okay. So you’re not a fan of sweet things?”

He shook his head, then paused. 

There’s a certain kind of sweetness I prefer. Candy and.... whatever artificial, baked nonsense that was... not so much.

Allie raised an eyebrow. “Donuts aren’t artificial!”

And how would you know? 

He countered smoothly, catching her with her lips parted. She closed her mouth and frowned. “That’s not fair. You don’t play fair.”

This is playing? He asked dubiously, but she could feel that he wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he had been.

After the donuts were all gone, Allie bid Noel goodbye and resumed her tasks, enjoying the sunlight and warmth the entire time, knowing in her heart that there weren’t many sunny days left.
And she was right.

The temperature dropped sharply only a few days later, and the time came when the snow fell, in icy, silent swaths... and stuck to the ground.

Allie kept the fire in her cabin going and occupied herself with simple tasks to keep busy. Such as repairing her tools and daydreaming about spring. Sometimes she fell asleep in front of the fire and woke to darkness shrouding her shelter.
Noel didn’t visit.

In the cabin as snowy days bled into frigid nights, time ceased to exist. Restlessly she paced around the small space of her shelter, almost like a caged animal. She rationed her snacks and spoke to no one but herself. Anything to stay occupied. The first storm lasted well over a week, and Allie spent most of it in bed, sleeping. 

The sun did not return.

And Allie dreamed.

Most of her dreams were of herself in the woods, all she’d ever known. Occasionally faceless men and women, people she’d never seen or met and who never spoke would be standing by and watching her hunt and fish and creep through twisted, nonsensical forests But by night eleven, she was very much awake and listening to the ice lashing against her windows and the wind blowing against her shelter. Seated on the floor by the fire, it was there that she felt a presence enter her mind. 

It wasn’t Noel, but it was just as familiar, a simple mind, a simple creature she could recognize anywhere.
Allie leapt to her feet when she heard the light scratching on the wood of the cabin front door.

“Oh my god!” She exclaimed, then rushed to get her outerwear on so she could go outside and greet Dawn, welcome her home.

Allie flung the door open and there she was, ears mostly pinned back in the wind, the snow several feet deep. She called out to the doe, who flicked those ears and turned around, heading through the storm towards the trees.

“Dawn, wait!”

Without another thought, Allie headed out after her friend, the snow stinging her cheeks, the wind stealing her breath right from her lungs.
The lights of the cabin faded behind her in the storm, as Allie trudged after the shadowy deer that left no tracks in the snow.

Noel was in his nest when he heard the Forest singing again, but he paid it no mind as he tore into his meal, a moose cow that had foolishly wandered across his path in the storm. 

The song in the back of his mind was a croon, seductive and distracting. He growled and tried to block it out, refocusing on the meat in front of him. His fangs tore away a hunk of meat and blood ran down his chin as he chewed.

Why was it calling him again anyway? He’d made it clear that he wasn’t going back.

He’d just tore the moose’s front foreleg from her body when he realized. In his hand, the bone snapped with a bloody, wet crunch as he curled his fingers into a tight fist.

It wasn’t calling him.

He let out a snarl and abandoned his dinner, blood dripping from his skin to his suit, staining his lapels, and he left it there.

It can’t have her!
 
It took him too long to teleport, even though it was nigh instantaneous. He rushed to the cabin and when he saw the front door hanging ajar, the fire guttered in the hearth and the snow piling itself on the inside, he swore in a language he hadn’t used in a long time.

There were tracks, but they were fading fast, and with another snarl, he dropped to all fours to follow them.
Cold like this never bothered him, but for a small human like her...

Allie... You foolish human... you’d better be okay.

He tried scenting Allie on the air, but the wind was whipping every which way.
Noel bounded into the forest after the tracks, his mind a dark churning mass of fury and fear. 

I have to find her. I have to—

And still the Forest sang, but it was slower and more gentle. Almost a lullaby. A dirge.
Ten minutes later the tracks were completely gone, the snow having buried them and the wind wiped them away.
Noel frantically threw out his mental net, counting the seconds, the minutes. He shouldn’t have left her alone.

Unbeknowest to her, when the snow first settled on the ground, he’d come by the cabin every day, concealing his presence to make sure she was alright. But... the one time he slipped up..

It was like the tiniest flame flickering in a endlessly dark and silent world, but he picked up on her mind. It was slow, sluggish. Dreaming, and nearly dead.

He rushed to the spot, scanning over the snow covered forest floor, but she wasn’t there. 

Where are you?!

He reached out to her again, trying to get her to respond, to give him a hint...

Another curse tore from his lips as he realized, and he began to dig, his long fingers gouging great drifts of snow from the earth.

It didn’t take long until he unearthed a hand, clad in a rabbitskin mitten.

Carefully but swiftly he excavated his human, curled up on the ground like she’d just fallen asleep there. And she was asleep, caught in the tendrils of the Forest’s presence. Even as she’d begun to freeze, she hadn’t woken up. He scooped her into his arms and pressed her limp form to his chest. Her lips were dusky blue and there was snowflakes in her hair and clinging to her eyelashes.
It was a horrifying sort of beautiful.

Noel reached into her mind and cut the lines keeping the forest attached to her, and he replaced them with his own presence.
there was something wrong with his throat, it was closing up, his chest was tight.

Hang on, he told her as he pulled off his jacket with his free hand and the aid of his tendrils and wrapped it around her before bringing her close. I’ve got you.You’re safe. 

He willed his own body heat to leech through his clothes and into her. She was too cold, too cold.
Steadying himself with one hand, he got to his feet and transported them both back to the cabin.
On the way in, his tendrils snagged several logs from the pile, and he carefully squeezed himself into the tight space and managed to close the door behind him.
Still wrapped in his insulating jacket, he placed Allie back into bed, and stoked the fire to dangerous levels of heat for a wooden cabin.
And then he waited.

He waited in silence for her skin to regain colour and her body to begin shivering, and as the warmth thawed her out, stop again.

Eventually, his worry abated, replaced by a cold anger. How dare the Forest interfere again. There was nothing he could do to stop it, but watch his human closer, and be more vigilant. 

It can’t have her. She’s mine. I won’t let her go without a fight.

It was then that he realized he actually... cared for her. Those feelings he’d been denying and ignoring, the possession, the fear for her safety— it was because somewhere, somehow, she’d become important to him. Dangerously so.
Michaelis had told him that humans could be made into friends, but he hadn’t told him humans could be made into...more.
He had to stop this. Not for him, but for her. There was no life she could have with him that didn’t end in tragedy. And that was assuming she...wanted to have a life with him. Did he?
He’d once said that her body was average, but he’d lied.

Gods above, he’d lied about a lot of things.
With these new revelations, he knew what he had to do. And when the dawn came, bleak, pale and without warmth, Noel stoked the fire one final time and then carefully unwrapped Allie from his jacket, taking it back.

As an afterthought, he threw another log into the hearth and tucked her back in.
Her eyelids flickered, but he reached into her mind and sent her back to sleep before she could wake and see him there.

It was better for them both that way. He had to distance himself, as much as he was able. He had to let her find her own way. Face her own struggles. If she was in danger, he’d step in. But only then. As it had been before.

The storm was over and the landscape was transformed, the snow that glittered in the rising sun having blanketed the entire park several feet deep. He left silently, as the sun crept over the horizon, and didn’t bother covering his tracks.

Chapter Text

Allie sat on her bed, knees curled up to her chin, watching the darkness slowly lightening all around her. Another day, she’d made it to another day.

The bed creaked quietly as she slid off it, one leg at a time and made her way to her food stores. The plastic cooler she kept her meat in was nearly empty, with only a single fish laying at the bottom. She picked it up, felt the rough, cold flesh under her fingers and then snapped it in half. The dry meat crackled as she broke off a piece of it for breakfast. It crumbled slightly in her hand.

Reaching up with her free hand, she felt around on the built in shelf for anything at the back, and her fingers encountered several berries she’d overlooked.
Quickly she pulled them into her hand and brought them down to examine them. One had suspicious white spots growing on its surface so she discarded it right away. That left four dried and puckered berries.

Four berries and a bit of dried fish. That was all she had left.

Her head turned towards the door, and she felt dread settle into the pit of her stomach at the sight of it. She could go out there and find something, anything to eat... 
Just the thought of leaving her shelter and braving the snow covered forest was enough to have her breath quicken and tears prick in her eyes. No— no she couldn’t.
Taking her meagre breakfast back to bed, Allie wrapped the bear pelt around her and put the fish flesh in her mouth
It was cold and hard, and very bland. She’d never had any way to season her food. She ate the tart berries one by one to add flavour. It didn’t do much.
Allie chewed the fish and berries into a lump, then swallowed it carefully.
Terrible breakfast as it was, she was comforted by the fact that it would stave off the hunger that had become her companion again for another few hours.

Somehow her gaze travelled to the window, and she shuddered, quickly looking away before she could glance past the marbled frost on the glass.

She didn’t know how it had begun, but one day, she woke up feeling not quite right. And the moment she’d stepped outside into the bracing morning air, ready to do the things she needed to, she was filled with a sudden, frantic panic that had surged up from her chest. It made her heart pound wildly and erratically, and made it hard to breathe, her breath trapped in her lungs. It was such fear that she was screaming in her head long before it came to her lips. It had been a wild, and illogical thing.

It had her scrambling back into the cabin and slamming the door shut behind her, where she’d collapsed to the floor in a tight ball and started crying.
And ever since that day—

“I don’t have to go out right now,” she told herself over and over as the snow piled up outside. “I’m safe and warm in here. I don’t need anything.”

Her procrastination grew, hour by hour, day by day. 
Her food stores and wood supply grew less and less as she took to eating more then usual and staying up later.

And now, here she was with basically nothing.
All of Noel’s snacks had been consumed, her rabbit and fish stocks depleted entirely. No more berries, no more nuts. And there was only a mediocre pile of logs left, stacked haphazardly against the inside wall. 

Allie continued to tell herself she was okay, that she’d be able to leave at any time and replenish her stores. It would take work, but she could do it. She had that freedom. She had all the time in the world.
A part of her knew that she was deluding herself, knew that it wasn’t logical to fear the cold, the snow.

But the fear remained, like a beast prowling outside her door, and it reminded her of its presence every time the wind rattled her cabin, and no matter how much she tried to reason with it, it terrified her into submission, like Noel had once done.

The anxiety chewed at her mind, just as hunger chewed at her body, and no matter how many times she cried or screamed, waking up from horrific nightmares— she remained alone.

Allie had stopped counting how many days it had been since that wonderful  one in the sun. Noel was gone. She couldn’t feel him in her mind or as far as she could reach with her psychic sense. He’d abandoned her and she’d had to come to terms with that. It was a lot harder then it should have been. In her days of isolation she’d realized how much she enjoyed his company, monster though he was. She’d never actively missed him, even when he wasn’t around. But now... it felt like there was a hole inside her. She cared for him more then she wanted to admit.

Her toes curled slightly as she thought about him, his mannerisms, what his voice sounded like in her head, when he smiled and how weird it always looked. Something with that many teeth and no proper face shouldn’t have been able to emote so well. 

Allie shuddered, looking towards the window again. 

She could go out there... she could look for him, end her loneliness. She could save herself for once. 

But you’ll die, the anxiety whispered in her mind. You’ll die and no one will ever find you. He will never find you. You will be lost forever.

On the one hand, she was quite fed up with these thoughts. She’d faced death before, numerous times. She’d laughed in its face, for gods sake! 

But, the fear hissed, flicking its forked tongue against her thoughts like a persistent demon, You can’t fight this. You can fight Noel, you can fight wild beasts. You can fight them all. You can’t fight winter.

If you go out there, it will devour you. It will bury you. 

Faced with that fear, what else could she do but remain?

A reoccurring dream she kept having saw her chasing after Dawn in an intense snowstorm. All around her the storm raged, and ice bit into her cheeks and lips as she called for her friend to stop, to turn around and come back. 

Every time, Dawn would outpace her, and every time she would be overcome with a terror she’d never known, her body paralyzed by the cold. She’d fall to her knees, lips frozen shut, eyes frozen open, and no matter how much she screamed, she couldn’t make a single sound.. and she couldn’t stop the snow from slowly burying her in darkness.

The sunlight filtered weakly through the heavy clouds and Allie yelled in her cabin.

“Fuck, what am I even afraid of!?”
She paced back and forth in her cabin, dressed for the outside and trying to psyche herself up.
“The cold? I’ve got layers! The snow? Boots and mitts! This is stupid and it ends now!”

Allie strode to the door and put her bare hand on the handle, but the metal was biting cold and she froze, her breath quickening. Was it colder inside then usual? She looked at the fire, which flickered unsteadily. Oh god. Oh god it was going to go out. It was going to go out and she would freeze in here—!!!

The panic came suddenly, deafening her thoughts and silencing her reasoning. All she knew was death awaiting.

Allie wasn’t aware that her hands were shaking. She wasn’t aware that tears were streaking down her cheeks again and that she was gasping for shallow breaths. 
In her vision, the fire guttered. In her minds eye, it went out and she was left in a sudden darkness as the frost crept over the windows and the snow buried her forever.

She curled up on the ground again, throwing her hands over her ears, over her face. A low moaning cry came from her lips, a rapid ‘Nononononono, please no—“

The world closed in on her, the cabin creaking under the weight of heavy snowdrifts. Too heavy. She looked up, thought she could see the wood bending.

The panic rose and fell like a wave and on its upswell smothered her and she cried out in anguish and terror again.

Noel, where are you?!

She received no answer. 

Another set of uncountable days. She’d covered the windows, blocked out the winter world beyond the glass. She sat and rocked on her bed, staring at a patch of wall, face tight with the tear stains on her cheeks. The gnawing pain in her belly that had tormented her for a several weeks had been replaced with a hollow emptiness. She knew it wasn’t a good thing, but she was just grateful that the pain had stopped.

So this is how I die, she found herself thinking glumly. 

The door was right there. And beyond it was a world full of things to eat, hot meat and fish and winter berries and roots, buried underneath the snow.

But that was the problem. The snow, the cold. She couldn’t do it. 

She slept instead.

Weaker and weaker every day, she drank the snow that had melted in her bucket and slept longer and longer  to conserve her energy, lest her waking hours be filled with the irrational fear of cold, empty death at the hands of winter.

He told himself to stay away. 

Every time she called out to him, every time he felt that fear coursing down the bridge between them, he reminded himself of that fact. She was getting stronger mentally by desperation alone, he could hear her despair clearly across the endless expanse of forest, and it tore at his insides like jagged claws. 

She needed him. And he... he very much needed her. He knew that now. 

But that was why he had to endure it. To break her dependance on him. And to temper his dependance for her.

For almost a month, he’d endured her pain alongside his own. He hadn’t gone by the cabin or anywhere near it, he’d kept to his nest and kept himself out of her mind as much as he could. More often then not, her dreams came through the clearest.

 Lately, it was getting painfully difficult to not go to her side. 

She wasn’t snapping out of it like he knew she could. The Forest had clearly done damage to her subconscious with the trick it had pulled, and he wasn’t sure if it was reversible. He waited, and waited, and waited, telling himself that she’d pull free from its influence on her own, for it was influencing her even now and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

It was escalating the fear in her veins, in her mind. Magnifying it. And day by day, he paced his nest and the far side of the park and resisted with every ounce of his strength. Allie was strong. He told himself she’d overcome it on her own.

She was starving, though. Trapped and terrified, and the thought of her dying in that cabin—calling for him... it was too much.
Syndel damn him, he couldn’t stand idle any more.

The sun rose and then set without showing its face even once, and in the dusk, it started snowing again.

Allie sat in front of the fire, shivering and even though she wasn’t cold, she felt like it. Her hands trembled and her grey eyes were glassy. 

When she discerned the touch in her mind, she disregarded it. She’d started to imagine sounds like knocking and scratching at her door or feelings like Noel’s presence in her head more and more of late. 

She was going crazy, and she knew it.

So when she felt the presence slide gently against her thoughts, a light prodding to get her attention, she only drew her knees up to her chin and stared into the fire again, ignoring it.
But it came again, and again, until Allie could no longer pretend it wasn’t there.

She tentatively reached out, and Noel’s presence wrapped around her, a storm in itself. She couldn’t identify the emotions he was displaying and mostly hiding from her— but it was real.

“Noel...?”

She said his name on her lips and in her mind, disbelieving. 

For the first time in a long time, Allie felt warmth seep back into her limbs.
She scrambled to her feet and almost fell over again as the dizziness in her head overwhelmed her.
But somehow, she got her hands around the cold door handle and yanked it open, leaning on it heavily as she stared out into the darkness.

The wind blew against her, flurries of snowflakes swirling in the air. It was everything she feared. And yet...
The anxiety rose up, but hope was burning in her chest now, like a frail flame, keeping it at bay.

She took a step forward, moving to steady herself against the doorframe. 
Her fingers trembled, and she reached out with her mind again.
Had it been... her imagination?

Something in her chest ached at that thought. But then... there was movement beyond the light spilling onto the snow from her hearth. A figure much bigger then a man’s, an animalistic creature walking towards her on all fours.

“N-Noel...”

She said it in a breathless, broken voice, her eyes tearing up. He’d come back. He’d come to save her, like he’d done before.
She was too weak to run to him, but she tried anyway, tripped, and fell to her hands and knees in the snow.

He came through the swirling whiteness dressed in night itself, his hands dark with blood and splatters of it on his suit. It was smeared across his face, dripping from his chin as he approached, snow dusting the top of his shoulders and back.

He stopped right in front of her, and she just started to shake as he spoke.

Allie... What have you done to yourself?

A tendril slid around her arm and rubbed against her neck, tipping her chin up. She used it to get to her feet again. She couldn’t say anything, especially not as the warm smooth appendage gently steadied her. 

She just covered her mouth with one hand and the tears fell down her cheeks like rain as she started to sob.
His hand reached out, hesitated, then brushed a finger across her cheek, smearing a smudge of brilliant red there.

I’m here now.

She suddenly lurched from the spot she was swaying in and slammed against his chest, needing the comfort, the warmth of another. Needing to touch him, make sure he was real.
Here and there his suit was wet with blood, but it wasn’t his own and she didn’t care.

You left me! She threw at him in her mind, unable to get any words out through her crying.
You b-bastard, you left and I was alone!
I was so alone...

Her hands curled into fists and she tugged on his suit with emphasis. 

Noel’s body shuddered and then his hands curled around her body, her back, pressing her to him. 

Forgive me,
he said, and there was such raw sorrow in his voice it only made her cry more, melting into his embrace, weak and so, so tired. 

My Allie... I thought— I thought I knew what was best for you. For once, I was wrong.

She tightened her grip in the fabric of his suit, hiccuping. 

He gently pulled her back, his hand moving to her chin to tilt it up towards his face. He examined her pale skin and then he dipped his head and opened his jaws, dark tongue flicking out and licking up the tears on one side of her face.
The pain in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by shock.

You’ve starved yourself...

She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a finger to her lips and silenced her.

Don’t argue. Just let me take care of you.

Allie’s grey eyes shone with more tears, but then she nodded.
The finger against her lips was warm, so warm. She moved her hands to hold his wrist, feeling the life in him pulsing beneath his skin. 

Noel stood slowly, towering over her like only he could, and pulled something from behind him, tendrils holding it aloft.
Her eyes couldn’t focus on it very well but once she realized what it was, a feeling of nausea rippled through her belly.

“N-Noel...?”

She took an unsteady step back.

He carefully set the man’s corpse down on the snow between them. She swallowed as its head turned towards her at the motion, eyes unseeing and full of horror, throat torn out.

His blood was still running. The freshest of kills.

She looked at the body and then back up at Noel, a new kind of pain in her eyes. “You... You promised... You p-promised, no more people! I trusted you! I TRUSTED YOU!!”
Her voice raised until she was yelling at him, but then she was doubling over to vomit, falling to her knees with the strength of her heaves. Nothing came up but stomach acid that scorched her throat on its way out.
She coughed, gagged, and then he was there, his hands curling around her shaking body, helping her stand again.
His thump passed over her lips, wiping her mouth for her.

Allie... Allie you need to understand something. I take care of what I care for—what is mine, and you... I need to take care of you. Do you understand?

She just gazed up at him, incomprehension in her eyes. Noel’s thumb traced across her lips again, almost involuntarily. He continued in a terribly calm voice, even though he felt like roaring inside.

Allie... I’m not going to eat him.

“You’re not? Then—“

She continued to stare up at him for some kind of explanation, but he only shifted closer, moving his hand to take hers, so fragile, so weak. He could see her bones. It made him so, unbearably sad.

It dawned on her slowly, oh so slowly. 

“No,” she breathed out, eyes widening.

The animals are gone. You need to eat.

His voice remained steady, almost soothing. 

Allie, you need to eat.

“I...”

She was frozen in place, rooted in the snow, torn between what she wanted and what she desperately needed.

“I c-cant...”

He tipped his head to one side and regarded her. 

You can, you are stronger then you know. And I will be here to help. To make it easier. Do you trust me, Allie?

Allie was trapped, trembling and terrified.

“I—”

Did she? After everything, after him leaving her—and now this?

He wanted her to consume human flesh. She had no memories but even she knew that humans... did not eat other humans. If she did this, she’d become something ...else. Something like him.

Allie, Noel prompted, his fingers moving to cup her face. Do you trust me?

She hesitated again. Could she do this? Did she have a choice?

“I d-don’t want to,” she whimpered, and she sounded like a scared child. “Please, don’t make me—“

Noel’s claws were in her hair now, gently running through it, twisting the strands.

I know, he rumbled in her mind. But if you don’t you’ll die. And I refuse to lose you, Allie. After all, you’re mine.

She trembled still, but when he brought his face down to hers, she closed her eyes.
His lips brushed against her forehead, and at the same time, he sent his mind to envelop hers.
Allie’s body tensed, and then relaxed despite the cold night, letting her thoughts go. Letting him take them. 

Noel’s powerful presence seeped in quickly and then spread through her mind, mixing with her own self until the line between their minds blurred. Allie’s breaths slowed until they were the same pace as his. 

Noel was intimately close, closer then he’d ever been before, and Allie was grateful for it. It would make what she had to do so much easier.

Gently, he guided her body, her muscles, her mind into warm and comfortable darkness.

Meat.

It had the copper sweet tang of blood to it, chewy and fatty. It smelled like cologne and sweat, but it was warm and it slid down their gullet smoothly. Their claws tore into skin and thick muscle, separating the edible from the inedible, and cracked bones to get to the insides. Slippery blood on their fingertips, staining their lips, their forearms.

A limp limb was wrenched free of its socket and then brought to a famished, wanting mouth. The squish of blunt fangs biting into flesh was audible, but they didn’t care. Chewing, chewing, tearing veins and sinew, tendons. The crunch of a finger. The umami sensation of a tongue,  soft and tender.

Power thrummed in their chest, and in the cold they feasted until they were full. Hunched over, clawing handfuls of meat and organs from the bones. 

Like an animal. Like a monster.

When Allie came too, she was warm and sleepy, being cradled by strong arms. The snow fell on her face, but she wasn’t scared of it any more. Something in her was insulated against that fear. Her eyes flickered open, saw something white only inches away and it took her a moment to realize it was Noel. His face was clean and he was carefully cleaning hers with his tongue.

She felt heavy, full. Satiated, for the first time in weeks.
It was hard for her mind to focus, her thoughts kept circling around and around.

Are you... grooming me?

Noel didn’t answer, just continued to lick broad swaths of her cheeks and lips with his tongue. He was... purring. A deep rumbling in his chest that vibrated through her. 

Sleepy. She was so... so sleepy.
Was it Noel himself that radiated that...heat? Or did she now possess it like an ember in her belly?

Someone was dead. She knew that. That was fact. And she’d done something heinous. Something unforgivable and morally wrong. That was also fact, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Right now, she was beyond everything.

“Noel,” she mumbled quietly, and he paused his grooming. 

You did so well. I am proud of you.

That was enough to put a small smile on her face and her eyes closed again, lulled to sleep by the soft and insistent rasp of his tongue on her bloodied skin.

Chapter Text

The cabin door opened and Allie entered, kicking the mud from her boots as she stepped over the threshold.
Her white hair was hidden beneath an orange hunter’s hat that had flaps to cover her ears and fur lining to keep her head warm, and when the door swung shut behind her she took it off, running her fingers through her tresses to detangle them.
It was getting too long for her liking, for her to manage and maintain, but having lots of hair in the winter was an asset, not a detriment. Come spring, she’d take her bone knife and shear it all off.
She vaguely wondered if Noel would have any opinions on the cutting of her hair, whether he’d be for, or against it long, and then her thoughts went where she didn’t want them to go and her eyes lifted to the blue and white cooler on the counter.

The one full of… meat.

She took a moment to take off her mittens and then approached it, hand lifting the lid. A smoky, strange smell came from the stacked parcels of cooked meat, and with a slightly disgusted expression on her face, she reached for one.

It's just meat, she told herself. It's just meat.

As she held it in her hand, weighing the choices she’d made in the past few weeks, the memories rose up, as fresh as the first snow.

Noel had been waiting for her the morning after his return.
Her memories of the evening before were vague and hazy and she told him so, querying to him as he crouched before her and the red patch of bloodied snow on the ground just outside her door.
“Why don’t I remember anything?”

She did remember the waiting, the emptiness in her belly and the lack of energy that night. She’d been waiting for death, she remembered that. Everything after that though was a dreamlike blur and when she tried reaching through the mist, the memories scattered from her like smoke in her hands.

He’d tilted his head as if he was gauging her reaction to the answer he was going to give.
Eventually, though, he’d responded.

I took them. Your memories of last night would only cause you pain. And I thought it was best that you forget what happened.

He’d moved closer to her then, extending a hand out to touch her cheek with one finger. Such a long, warm finger.

I don’t want to cause you pain, Allie.

Allie hadn’t recoiled at his touch or his words, simply asked him to tell her what had happened.
He wanted to argue, she could tell he was torn between his consuming need to keep her safe and his desire to make her happy but in the end, and with great reluctance… He told her.

She’d kept her expression neutral for most of it, just confirming what she knew deep down. She’d eaten from a human being.
She was a man-eater now.
Her eyes had simply closed, willing the storm of emotions inside her chest to settle, before she thanked him and went back into her cabin.
She stayed in bed that whole day, and Noel, undoubtedly sensing her distress through the heightened bond they shared, had left her to her thoughts.
Left her to come to terms with the act.

Allie’s fingers closed around the sizable chunk of dried man-flesh in her palm and she brought it to her lips.
It hadn’t smoked like the other kinds of meat she’d prepared before, and drying it had made its texture strange.
Her teeth bit down and severed a bite from it and she chewed, her stomach churning slightly.
Just meat.
That’s all it was. That’s all she was.

The body that had been gifted to her by Noel that cold and stormy night had disappeared by morning, bones and all. She suspected that he’d eaten it, but it wasn’t until the second time it happened that she knew for sure.

Freed of fear, Allie had been preparing her tools to go on a hunt. It had been too long that she’d been cooped up in her cabin and despite Noel’s words that the animals had disappeared, she’d found that there were still rabbits, and she’d seen foxes and small mountain cats hunting them. She didn’t blame Noel for doing what he did, she had been starving and he’d have wasted precious time rooting out rabbit warrens or fox dens. He’d gifted her with the only food source he regularly hunted. Man. He’d shared that with her. There was something about that that filled her with a strange kind of warmth.

Still, Allie knew that she wouldn’t be able to do it again.
Not because she was too squeamish, but because Noel had guided her to eat that person raw. If she wasn’t careful, she could get deadly ill from such a barbaric way of feasting, and Noel wouldn’t be able to save her then.
No, she had to regain her independence and routine, lest it destroy her.
The day of the hunt, the snow started to flurry thick and swift, and she was forced to return to her cabin before she got lost, snares and hands empty.
Feeling defeated, she hadn’t hidden her frustration and when Noel reached through their bond to check on her, she told him how she was feeling.

With a gravitas she appreciated, he’d asked her if she’d be open to him hunting for her again.
She’d been obviously hesitant. She’d be actively participating in murder for one, stealing a life; someone’s son or daughter, partner or parent. She wasn’t versed in the ethical implications of cannibalism, but she knew it was frowned upon in all corners of the earth. Letting Noel take a life for her would put just that much more grief into the world. It hurt her to even imagine the depth of loss the people they left behind would feel. And the closure they’d be denied.
But for all of that, Allie was practical and had proven time and time again that she’d do whatever it took to survive. And she knew that one human properly prepared would last her several weeks.
Noel had listened to her fears and thoughts and then told her that he respected her opinion, but he wasn’t going to let her starve again. She’d argued that the snowstorm would most likely blow over in a day, and killing an entire human would be a waste in the long run, and he’d countered with calm logic that he too had to eat.
If she only took a few pounds of flesh from his meal, he would finish the rest regardless, because unlike her, he was rarely in the position to choose his prey.

In the end, she’d agreed despite her misgivings, and it had only been several hours before he’d reached out again to tell her he’d done the deed.
Her only request had been that whatever he did, he made it quick and as painless as possible for them, and he assured her that it had been so.
Then he’d teleported outside her door and she’d taken a few moments to compose herself before opening it.

Noel had been holding the body in his claws like an offering, and then laid it down on the snow almost gently before her, retreating a few feet away to give her room.
She’d felt her breath chill in her lungs as she looked upon the man’s face, blood dripping from his ears and nose and mouth, his neck savagely, efficiently twisted. It hadn’t been painless, but it had been quick.
She sent her gratitude down the bond to Noel as she kneeled next to him and pulled her knife free.
Noel moved forwards on his fours to provide the only support he could.
She felt his arm brush against her side and was grateful for the comfort, small as it was.

But when his mental tendrils tried slipping further into her mind, she resisted. He didn’t understand and tried to reason with her.

You don’t want to be conscious of this, Allie. Let me guide your body and shield your mind. You will never be free of the nightmares otherwise. 

Allie had shaken her head and thrown up walls around her thoughts. Flimsy walls that he could shatter with very little effort, but he halted nonetheless.
“I can’t do this and not be here for it,” she explained. 
“I need to understand what I’m doing, even if it hurts me. Free will is more important than comfortable ignorance.”
She motioned to the corpse. “He wouldn’t want that. He’s not an animal, whatever you say. He loved and he felt joy and sadness and he lived, and I took that from him, and…”
She’d started tearing up, losing her words and Noel simply placed his hand on her shoulder. He said nothing, but she knew he understood.
Having the explicit memory of this horrible act graven on her psyche for all of her days-- that was the price she had to pay.

Allie took a shuddering breath and then lifted the knife over the body. His clothing was already shredded, chest bared for her, and as she looked at his pale skin, she faltered.

Noel’s fingers left her shoulder and curled around hers, so much bigger. She tightened her grip on the knife, fearing he was going to take it from her and assume control over her body again but he only guided the blade to the man’s skin.
A drop of sluggish blood beaded where the sharp bone cut, but then it became a trickle, and then a stream and a part of Allie deep inside her wept.

Like any animal she herself hunted, she went through the motions to skin and flay, gut and debone; carving great chunks of fat and muscle and meat from the body of the stranger.
She left the bones, guts and the organs; which Noel easily scooped out with his great hands and fed upon, and when Allie had filled her bag with enough meat the seams were weakening, Noel used his tendrils to pick up the body and break it into smaller pieces for him to consume.

The sound of him cracking the man’s skull between his powerful jaws was something she didn’t think she could ever forget.

She worked quickly to build the fire needed to cook her rations. The snow crunched underfoot as Noel finished his meal and moved to join her as she struggled to light the tinder. Finally, though it caught, and with a few well-placed sticks, she made a spit and carefully cooked all the meat. The fat bubbled and spat as it sizzled, dripping into the flames, skin crisping where she left it on.
It smelled so mouthwateringly good, and Allie hated it. Something so terrible should never have been so appetizing.

Noel only watched her, and when she hesitated, he gave her mind a little nudge.
She lifted a piece of steaming golden meat to her mouth, then hesitated again. Noel’s body beside her shifted, and then his hand was on her shoulder again, squeezing lightly, claws curved and lightly pricking her through her shirt. 

Eat, Allie .

It was all he said, but it was all she needed. Her teeth sank into the flavourful, greasy flesh, and she pulled a bite away. It was like no meat she’d ever had before. It was so, so good. 

Noel said nothing as she chewed, as the tears welled up in her eyes and started coursing down her face, and he said nothing when she gagged, swallowed and let out a small whimper. The meat was hot and filling, and despite everything, despite her misgivings, her stomach craved more and she couldn’t resist.
Only after she’d reached for another piece did he speak, his voice reaching deeper into her than usual.

Of all the humans I’ve ever encountered, Allie… and there have been a lot, I assure you; you number one of a handful that has surprised me. It's true I see humans as little more than prey, beings of lesser intelligence; but being around you has given me a new perspective. You hold life in such high regard it makes me feel uncivilized. 

She lifted her wet face and looked up at him, quiet.
Noel shifted his weight slightly, his face tilted towards the flames. It had taken her some time to learn to decipher his emotions based on the limited facial cues he provided, but she could tell that he was deep in thought, by the way his shoulders were and the position of his head. She waited for him to continue.

This might not mean much coming from a devourer of your kind, but I... respect that, Allie. And I respect you. I may not know all the words to say to make you understand what I mean, but… It’s the truth. I respect you. Your presence here, your way of life… its a breath of fresh air in a stagnant world. In… my world.. So, thank you.

Allie hadn’t known how to respond to that, the tears drying on her face slowly. “Noel…?”
His hand had moved to ruffle her hair, then his pale lips curved into a smile.

Finish your meal, Allie.

After Allie had eaten the piece of meat, she closed the cooler lid and swallowed, throat dry.
Equals. He finally saw her as an equal, but she didn’t feel any different. Maybe that was how it had always been meant to be.
Licking her cracked lips, she retrieved her mittens and slid them back on, then picked up her metal bucket from the floor. She needed more wood, but also more water. She packed her snares into the rabbitskin pouch she’d made, and slid her knife onto her belt. After a look around her small home, she turned and left.

The sky was overcast, and it was still very cold. Her breath puffed out white as she strode through the trees towards the lake. Here and there, patches of snow still dotted the ground, but they weren’t worth scraping up for water. It had been strangely warm that week, the sky cloudy but for a single band of bright blue sky by the horizon. Noel had called it a ‘chinook’ and had attributed the nicer weather to it. It was gone today, but that didn’t matter. It had been pleasant while it lasted, and a reprieve from the icy temperatures.

The forest floor underfoot of all the melted snow had turned muddy, soggy and springy. It gave the illusion that spring was just around the corner when in reality, it wouldn’t arrive until well into the midst of March.
At her request, Noel had been keeping track of the months. It was January now.
Almost instinctively, she reached out for Noel, but he wasn’t even a blip on her psychic radar. He was on the other side of the park, hunting for himself. She hadn’t asked him to change his habits, and he hadn’t said anything about it.
She didn’t even know if he could subsist on animals, with how much he ate, how active and large he was.
No, he was a man-eater, and he always would be. 

Allie carried her bucket down the deer track path she always took to get to the lake, and when she arrived she stared out at the flat, motionless expanse of ice. Patches of it had melted some near the shore, and so that’s where she went. She wandered back and forth looking for a thin enough piece of ice she could shatter for her bucket, but couldn’t find any.

She was just about to give up when she felt a presence, no… multiple presences close to her position.

Allie whirled, then froze as a large black wolf loped out of the trees towards her.
Its eyes were a sharp copper colour and there was silver around its muzzle and throat and peppered through its coat. It was magnificent. It was almost as large as she was.
She’d never encountered wolves in her part of the park before. Noel had assured her they lived in and around the mountains, but what neither of them knew was that the warmer weather had lured the varying wolf packs to extend their hunting territory down towards Maligne Lake and all of the surrounding forest.
Allie drew her knife the moment she saw movement in the trees.
Three more wolves came out and flanked their leader, and she didn’t need to reach far with her mind to realize that there were about 12 in total, and they’d just found prey.
She cursed, then let her bucket drop to the ground so she’d have a better range of movement. The sound of it hitting the rocks made the pack leader’s ears twitch and then it lowered its head, eyes staring into hers, mouth open, panting. Assessing.

She pointed her knife at him and made hissing noises.
If she could convince the leader that she wasn’t worth the hassle they’d all be able to go about their day without harming each other.
She didn’t want to hurt any of them.
She fixed the black male with a stare, slowly backing up towards the lake’s edge. Her plan was to keep him in her sights and head diagonally along the bank until she was out of range and they lost interest.
That plan was dashed the moment the black wolf closed the gap and his lip curled, a low growl escaping his open mouth.

Allie carefully kept her footing as more of the pack fanned out onto the lakeshore and cut off her escape. She could see that beneath their thick coats of fur, they were thin. Desperate enough to go after a human, no matter how small or armed.

As she retreated the pack advanced, tails up, ears back, all eyes on her.
The leader stepped onto the ice, his claws keeping him from slipping and the rest of the wolves followed.

“No!” She yelled at them, trying to be assertive. “Go back! Get! Stay away from me!!”
She threw her arms out and almost slipped and fell.
The wolves didn’t care. They had a meal almost within their jaws and they weren’t going to give it up so easily. With every step, she was forced further and further from shore.
All Allie could think of was how warm it had been lately. Would the ice hold under her weight? Theirs?
It had started to snow, small flakes floating down out of the grey sky and Allie cursed again as she almost fell a second time on the slick surface of the frozen lake.
“Fuck… Fuck!”
Noel was too far away, she couldn’t reach him, she knew that-- but she also knew that if she didn’t try, there was no hope for her.

The wolves were snarling now, closing in on her. Allie took a deep breath despite her heart pounding in her throat and she stretched her mental probe out past the wolves, emblazoned with silver in her mind's eye, and went looking for her monster. 

She flew over the landscape, pushing herself further than she ever had before, searching, searching. The world was a billion smaller pinpricks of light, lesser animals with lesser minds. She raced on.

Noel was a flickering but bright glimmer in the distance, like a faraway star, but she stretched and she reached him. He radiated surprise and confusion and something else she couldn’t identify at that distance.
Noel! She threw her words at him, sharp and urgent.
He said something she didn’t catch and she didn’t have time to ask him to repeat it. A wolf started flanking her, trying to get behind her and she snarled back at it, baring her own teeth to force it to retreat.
Wolves! At the lake, I’m--!!
She had been about to say ‘surrounded’, but then the black wolf lunged forwards at her and Allie let out a shriek and fell back onto the ice, her knife skidding out of reach. For a moment all she saw was the wolf descending from on high to sink its teeth into her throat and then something long and dark slammed into it and flung it back, the wolf crying out as its body slammed against the ice.
The black tendrils writhed and snapped like angry snakes all around her, and then Noel had wrapped his hand around her middle and was pulling her up to his chest.

Are you alright?

Noel’s voice was concerned and furious at the same time, a snarl of tremendous volume in his throat, and his voice. His grip around her middle tightened, and wincing, she rushed to placate him. “I’m not hurt! I’m okay! Noel--” She watched the black wolf stagger to his feet and return to the others, his ears folded back in anger.
The wolf pack was just doing what they’d been born to do. Just like her. Just like Noel.
“Don’t kill them!”
Noel snarled again with displeasure.

They didn’t seem like they wanted to spare you. 

Allie grabbed him by his suit and shook him by his lapels. “They’re just trying to survive like everything else, please, Noel-- scare them off, don’t kill them!”
Another snarl left his jaws and he shook his head erratically as if trying to shake off the thought of showing compassion, but then he drew himself up on his haunches, lips curling back from his black gums.

Very well. But they will regret messing with what is mine if they dare challenge me.

Noel’s jaws cracked open wide as he spread his tendrils out like hooked spider legs behind him, the tips sharp and dripping the same black ichor as his fangs.
The roar he let loose made Allie’s ears ring as it echoed over the ice and all around them and the wolves backed up, ears pinned low and whining. It looked like they were second guessing taking him on, but then the black wolf stepped up between two others and fixed him with a hungry, killing stare.
His tail raised, and then, with claws scraping the ice, he ran towards Noel, the rest of the wolves taking that as a signal to attack.
The air was filled with the ripping snarls of the wolves surrounding them and the deeper, more guttural noises coming from Noel. He held Allie to his chest with one hand and slashed at the wolves with the other, using his tendrils to knock away any that came close. But even with all his strength, there were many wolves and they were desperate, hungry animals that saw him as simply something they needed to work together to take on.
The leader led the assault, darting in and out of range of his tendrils to bloody them, causing Noel to retract them. Once they realized he wasn’t trying to kill them, their attacks grew bolder, focussing on his legs and his arms. One even got in under his swiping arm and sank its teeth into the hand holding Allie, and he roared again, body arching as simultaneously another pack member severed one of his tendrils in a spray of blood. Allie tumbled down to the ice and had to quickly roll away as Noel’s hand came down hard enough to make the frozen surface shudder. With both hands free, the Slenderman went for the leader, the animal simultaneously leaping onto him to go for the throat.

Allie let out a yell as there were a sharp pain and pressure in her ankle and she was dragged out from beneath Noel’s body and farther from the fight, her hands clawing at the ice. “N-Noel!!”

He turned his head to her and then two wolves leapt on his back and started tearing at his tendrils at the base, and he screamed with rage and bowed his body before snapping it back, sending them flying.

The rest of the pack lept in, biting, clawing, trying to bring him down and Allie was helpless to do anything but watch.
Noel was huge, but with 11 wolves surrounding him, Allie could barely see him. The wolf that had grabbed her ankle ripped at it with its teeth and she let out a scream of her own before using her other foot and kicking it very hard in the muzzle. The canine yelped and then came for her face, and she went for its eyes, trying to keep its snapping jaws away from her throat.

The ice was shaking beneath her, and she didn’t pay it much attention until she heard the loud cracking. The wolf she was fighting heard it too and she managed to punch it right in the mouth, ripping a groove of flesh from her hand but knocking out one of its teeth in return. It cried loudly and then backed off and she got to her feet, breathing hard and unsteady. She could barely put weight on her ankle, but that didn’t matter.

The ice...

Allie gasped as the ice buckled underneath her, almost knocking her down again. Oh fuck.
She saw the cracks racing towards where Noel and the pack were fighting and threw out her hand to him just as the ice split beneath him. “NOEL!!”

Noel let out another roar as the solid surface he’d been fighting on gave way and he and half the wolf pack was plunged into the icy lake. The wolves that were unlucky enough to be in his range were pulled beneath the surface of the ice with him, the rest fled back toward shore.
The dark water sloshed and the cracks continued out in all directions and Allie backed away with terror as once-solid ice behind and under her started to splinter. “Oh fuck, Oh fuck--”
The ice broke but then Noel was there, having teleported behind her and grabbed her before she fell through.
His grip tightened around her and then they were gone, as the ice split and rippled and settled where they had been. 

Allie’s breath rushed out of her as they reappeared on a rocky outcrop surrounded by mist and Noel fell to his knees, dropping her. The first thing she noticed when her head stopped spinning was that it was so cold it was making her cough, and her ankle was on fire.
With a groan, she rolled over, opening her eyes and looking towards Noel. Her eyes widened and she struggled to get up.
He was in a state, his suit shredded all over, bloody bite marks and rips in his pale skin.
As he put a hand to the ground to get to his feet, blood splashed against it, deep red on the stone. “Wait! Don’t move!”
More blood puddled on the ground as he ignored her, standing up to his full height, a grimace of pain on his face.

Allie forced herself to her feet with a hiss of pain and limped towards him.
He didn’t say anything, just tugged at his red tie until it loosened and slid from around his neck. Allie’s injured ankle gave out and she fell forwards onto her hands and knees with a pained curse. She looked up at Noel, a swirl of emotion in her chest. “Noel…?”
She questioned as his bloodied fingers went to the front of his suit jacket and he started pulling it off. It was so cold that ice was already freezing on his wet clothes and she lurched upright again. “Wait-- Don’t do that! You’re soaking wet, you’ll freeze!”
But Noel just dropped his jacket on the rocky ground and moved his fingers to the buttons of his blood-stained white shirt. Allie stumbled against him and grabbed onto his arm and he growled but didn’t shove her back. “Stop it!”

Allie.
His voice was low, and she could hear the pain underlying it.
Let go.

“You’re gonna freeze, you dumb stick bastard,” she snapped, trying to tug his hand away from his shirt. “Stop trying to take your clothes off!”
Noel laughed, actually laughed at her and then continued taking off his shirt.

Take a look around first, and then you can lecture me.

He shook off her grip and then smoothly undid the last of the buttons. Allie opened her mouth to argue, but then the words died in her throat as she saw his pale chest, marred by cuts and bites, all leaking blood. She staggered back, away from him, almost fell, but found a tendril supporting her back. She held onto it.

“Oh my god… Why did you stay and fight? We could have left before you got hurt!
She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes scanning over his torso and all the blood.
Underneath his injuries though, Noel’s physique was… Impressive.
Beneath his white skin rippled muscles that she couldn’t help but stare at. She’d never seen anything as breathtakingly powerful as him, and it showed, her mind going blank.
Noel laughed again at her reaction, sliding a tendril up under her chin to close her mouth. 

I forgot you’ve never seen me unclothed. Do I match your species’ standards of an ideal male body type?

Allie took a deep breath, her cheeks reddening for some reason. “I have no ideal standards, the only other humans I’ve ever seen have been dead.”
Besides, she was sure he didn’t need to match her species’ ideals, he clearly represented his own.
She forced herself to look away.

But did any impress you? 

Noel pulled his shirt off entirely and then discarded it on the ground atop his jacket.
His tone was teasing and she didn’t appreciate it. Allie turned to shoot him a glance over her shoulder and then the retort on her tongue vanished as she watched him undoing his belt.
“Wh-What are you doing?!” She yelped and snapped her head away again, cheeks heating hotter. The sound of him undressing was the only sound, other than her pounding heart as she raced to think of some way to make him keep his clothes on.

There’s no need to be prudish, Allie. I’ve seen you nude plenty of times. Take this opportunity to understand that this is what I look like in a state of undress.

Prudish?
Allie ground her teeth a little at the implication, and then her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘plenty of times?”
Noel didn’t answer, and she gasped in sudden realization, whirling. “You starved son of a--!!”
Her loud outburst died on her tongue as she beheld him, fully naked. His legs were bleeding too, but that’s not where she was looking. Never in her memory had she seen a naked man or his genitals before, but now…
Oh my god, he’s massive!

Your thoughts betray you, Allie~
Noel chuckled, and approached her, completely shameless. Am I that attractive to you?
She quickly averted her eyes as he passed her and didn’t answer, seething slightly with embarrassment. She’d forgotten he could hear her.
His lips quirked into a crooked smile as he walked past her and faded into the mist. She hesitated, only looking once he’d vanished. “Wh… Where even are we? Are you going to tell me why you got naked in front of me?!”

Come forwards and see, was his response.

Allie cursed under her breath, steeled her nerves and limped forwards slowly into the swirling white. She heard the quiet splash and bubble of water somewhere up ahead and frowned again. A spring?
Then she saw Noel’s body sink into the water and the mist cleared.
There was steam rising off of a deep green pool that bubbled up from a hole in the ground, the water clear as glass. As Noel slid into it up to his neck, he let out a groan and his whole body relaxed. Allie just stared. “What?”
The water wasn’t frozen, the only ice she could see was along the edges of the ground surrounding it.
Carefully, she knelt by the pool’s edge and dipped her fingers into it. It was hot, almost unbearably so, but even as she whipped her hand back, Noel let out a purr.

Strip, soak your wounds. The water has healing properties.

She wiped her hand off on her coat and looked at him. “You’re going to freeze when you get out, I’d rather not.”

You’re injured. Undress… or I will make you.

The Slenderman turned his head towards her, his expression making her shiver. She had no doubt he’d follow through on that threat.
Allie looked at the water again, then slowly unzipped her coat with almost numb hands.
Getting naked felt like a really stupid idea, especially around him,  but she didn’t want his tendrils all over her, so she obeyed.

Allie shivered in the cold, her shirt falling to the ground next to her boots and coat. The moment her bare chest was exposed to the frigid air, her nipples tightened and hardened and she hissed under her breath at the strange sensation. Noel had turned away the moment she had started taking off her coat, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at him as she undid her pants. Her underwear was the last to go, her toes curling on the icy rock as she carefully slid them down her slim legs and over her injured ankle. They too landed in the pile of clothing she left at the side of the pool.
She winced as the hot water stung her cold toes and then swore loudly and stumbled as it hit her injured foot. She almost fell in, but then a wet tendril was coiled around her waist and she was lowered gently and slowly into the water. Allie moaned in pain as her various scrapes and injuries were disinfected by the mineral-rich waters. The hot spring’s water was buoyant, so when Noel released her, she put one arm over the side and found her good foot an underwater ledge to rest on. The water bubbled around her shoulders and a shudder went through her body as it went to work on her tense muscles.

Better?
Noel asked her in a low purr of a voice.
Allie huffed and closed her eyes, just letting the heat soak into her bones. Finally, she answered. “...Better. How’d you find this place? And are we on top of a mountain?”
That was the only explanation she could come up with for the wet mist, the freezing air that felt far too thin.
He nodded his head and then his mouth unsealed, the sigh that left him one of pure contentment.

I found it purely by accident, years ago. I come up here whenever I need it and today… It was needed, for both of us.

Allie winced as she let her injured foot stretch out further into the pool. It stung something fierce, but it was a good pain, like all the potential infections she’d received from the wolf’s jaws were being burned away. Her eyes slid shut and she loosed a slow breath.

You really impressed me today, Noel said out of the blue and Allie frowned and opened her eyes again. “What? Why?”

The Slenderman rolled his head on his neck and then let out another contented rumble.
You managed to find me when I was at the other end of the park. That’s impressive. And you held your own against your own attacker. If the ice hadn’t broken-

Allie glared at him, her lips thinning in annoyance. “Thank you, but it never should have gotten to that point!” She narrowed her eyes at him and then crossed her arms over her chest. “You were just supposed to scare them back and then get us out of there! So why didn’t you?”

He lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug and Allie growled. “No! You’re going to tell me why you decided to put both of our lives in danger, and if you say ‘because I wanted a fight,’ I’m going to hit you.”

Noel’s jaws cracked open as he let out a hearty laugh, a sound both mental as well as physical.

“I’m serious,” She promised him, and he just laughed harder.
“What’s so funny?!”
Her indignation only seemed to make him laugh harder, shaking his head, all his sharp teeth on display.
“Bastard!” Allie spat at him and then moved through the water. Her hand lifted to slap that grinning face, but it never reached its target. Her eyes widened as his hand tightened on her wrist, and when she pulled back, he didn’t let go.

You asked me why I stayed and fought the beasts?
His voice was low, and he wasn’t smiling anymore.
She swallowed lightly but kept her disapproval visible and waited.

Noel’s grip tightened on her wrist. 

I stayed and fought for you. To prove to those mongrels that they’d made a grave mistake in going after you.

Allie opened her mouth, then shut it, fire in her grey eyes. “And why the hell did you think that was needed?! I don’t need any more needless death on my hands!”
She twisted her wrist free of his grip and then moved to get out of the water, but then Noel was standing and she backed up as he pressed his chest against hers to pin her to the side of the pool. Allie’s eyes widened and her face flushed as he reached out under the water to grab her good leg, claws pricking into her thigh.
His other hand moved to grab her under the chin and lift her head and she stared up at him, frozen and trembling.

How many times must I tell you that you belong to me before you believe me?

Her hard shell shattered, shock and confusion and… something else showing on her features.
“N-Noel…” Her throat is so dry, but she says his name anyway. He just closed his mouth and stepped away, getting out of the water himself.
It drips off his predator’s body and steams in the air.
Allie let her heartbeat settle before she turned to see him gathering up their combined clothes.

Hurry up or I’m leaving you behind.

Allie jolted, then scrambled to climb out of the pool, yelping as the cold air stung her wet body. “FUCK!!”
She limped over to him, and he held out his hand. She hesitated only a moment, then took it and for the second time that day, they vanished into thin air.

Chapter Text

When Allie woke, she was pretty sure she was still dreaming.
She was laying on something soft, so soft. Was it fur? Had she been sleeping on some great, wild beast? Her hand moved, fingers trying to decipher what exactly was beneath her without opening her eyes. 
The air was so warm, and from somewhere, she could hear running water and it was lulling her back to sleep.
No, I need to wake up , she told herself and made an effort to shake off the drowsiness.
It really was warm wherever she was.
Her eyelids cracked open, and then she stretched and let out a yawn, bringing tears to her eyes. Blinking them away, she let her pupils adjust to the bright light streaming through the many, many windows.

Green. She was surrounded by...trees? Trees she’d never seen before. She sat up, eyes drawn to the multi coloured bottles hanging from the old and spotted metal ceiling, catching the sunlight and refracting it into various sparkling fragments all over the bed she was on.
No, not a bed… She ran her fingers over the animal pelts, the various articles of clothing and blankets. All mismatching, all of it scavenged… Or stolen.
It's not a bed, she realized as she observed the way the vast pile of soft things dipped in the middle, as if something lay there every night, curled up.
It was a nest . 

She was in Noel’s nest. 

Shifting to her knees, she felt the soft warmth on her bare skin and frowned. It prompted her to look down at herself. Allie let out a surprised sound. She wasn’t exactly naked… but she wasn’t wearing anything modest either. The sheer pale blue camisole and panties that covered her chest and groin were thin and see through and she was going to smack Noel something fierce for putting her in them.

Noel’s nest… She’d often wondered where exactly he went when he wasn’t hunting or hanging around her, but she’d never have expected this. The center of the nest was deep, and it was a little bit of a struggle to climb out, but after a few minutes she tumbled down the opposite side onto her rear on the floor. 

Floor, not dirt, moss or leaves. She was in a human made building, but she’d never seen anything like it before.
“What… is this place?”
She whispered the words, almost afraid to break the peaceful quiet. After marvelling at her strange surroundings, Allie was again reminded that she was wearing barely anything when a soft breeze rustled the blue silk of her shirt.
Where were her own clothes? Sure the wolves had mangled her shirt, but her pants and boots and jacket? She needed those! And she needed them now. She turned to dig into the side of the nest, pulling out various items and articles of clothing.
Ah, you’re awake.

The voice in her mind had her stiffen and whirl, clutching a pair of jeans in front of her to shield her body from his view.
Noel looked at her from between a curtain of vines that draped over the path ahead. For it was a path, stone and seamless.

Allie put aside her embarrassment to glare at the monster. “You dressed me?” She began, then gestured to her outfit with one hand. “In this?”

His head cocked to one side and he studied her, which made her face burn bright red. “Noel! These aren't clothes!”

It’s not?
He sounded confused, but there was something else under his tone, was he teasing her?

“No! This is… These are barely covering anything! Why did you think I’d be okay with this?”

Her hands flailed slightly as she spoke.

It's warm in here, he replied calmly And you looked nice in them.

Her nostrils flared, and he put up a hand to shield his face as she chucked an off-white sneaker at him.
Allie! He warned, his lip curling a little.
She growled back at him, an impressive imitation of his own irritated sound. “No! You listen here! I don’t know how the females of your own species react to invasions of privacy like this but I’m pretty sure human beings really don't appreciate it! Stop dressing me without my consent, and never, ever put me in lingerie again!”

Noel waited for Allie to stop lecturing him and when she’d finally taken a breath, he held out his other hand. In it were her clothes, folded neatly and with her boots on top of the pile. Minus her underwear it was all there, clean and mended. Just like his suit, there were no visible rips in any of the garments anymore.
Are you done? He inquired with some amusement. When she opened her mouth to ask how he could have fixed her clothes and his own in such a short time, he shook his head and just continued.
I have your clothing here. And I wouldn’t know what the females think, I have never seen one.

Allie blinked, looking up at him as she tossed the pair of pants she was still holding aside. “What do you mean?” she asked, stepping forwards to receive her clothing. He transferred the pile into her arms and then straightened up to his full height, shrugging one shoulder. 

Females of my kind are incredibly rare, Allie. My species as a whole is primarily male. I have never seen a woman Slenderkin , he repeated simply.

She frowned, trying to imagine that. An entirely male species? How many males? Were they all born or made? And how, if they were born… How did they reproduce?
She looked up at Noel and he grimaced at the look in her eye.

I’m not going to indulge you in answering your inane questions, Allie. Get dressed, and then come join me for breakfast.

That made her laugh even though he’d insulted her. He might be big and powerful, but faced with her insatiable curiosity, he was nothing. Nothing!

She would forgive him for the lingerie, she decided as she shuffled off to a more secluded part of the building to change, surrounded by strange ferns and flowering plants. 

She couldn’t find her underwear, but considering she’d spent months wearing the same pair, she was sort of grateful for the panties Noel dressed her in. She briefly thought about how that had even come about, her imagination filling in the dots for her and she shivered and tried to pull her mind away from the images of Noel’s warm fingers on her bare skin. After what had happened in the hot spring the night before, how he’d acted… 

Her face heated up again and she shook her head hard. No. She wasn’t going to think about that.

When she was done dressing, she examined her shirt. No holes. No rips. No blood. Wild.

It was too hot in the building to wear her coat, so Allie tied it around her middle and then went looking for Noel. The stone path was bordered on both sides by unfamiliar and exotic plants and trees, and it joined up and diverged with others, all well kept and sometimes the aesthetic was broken with artfully arranged piles of objects. Like a dragon with its hoard, she supposed as she stopped to look at a pile of well made wood carvings. Some were bears, some eagles, cougars, and salmon leaping out of water. And one, one was the rough shape of a man- a tall, stretched man without a face crouching on a rock.
“Oh wow,” she breathed, reaching out a hand to touch its polished surface. It was smooth and warm under her fingers.
Noel. Someone had seen him, carved him.
Allie smiled a little, imagining that. Somewhere, somewhen, there was a woodcarver who’s best work regularly went missing, by the size of this display. And here it was, decoration for a monster’s home.

She moved on, following the sound of running water. The building, whatever it was, was massive. Through an arch of white, rusting metal twined with vines and pink and yellow flowers she found the water. It filled a circular pond probably no deeper then her thighs, and had a sort of… rock fixture on one side that made a little waterfall. She could hear the hum of machinery, clearly powering it.
Allie exhaled, then sat down, dipping her hand idly in the water as she looked out at all the plants. Had Noel been seeing to the upkeep of this strange place by himself? Apart from the piles of things here and there, there was no sign of human habitation.
Something brushed her fingers and she whipped them from the water with a surprised yelp, standing up and peering in. What was down there?

Fish, as it turned out. Orange and yellow and speckled black, and big. Obviously well fed. Was Noel feeding them? He had to have been… but why? Was he eating them?
Carefully she dangled her fingers just over the calm surface of the water and the fish placidly came swimming up to the surface and circling the shadow of her hand. She let her two fingers slip under and one of the peculiar fish nibbled at them for a few seconds before losing interest.
She wiggled her fingers and the other fish came to see what she was before darting away gracefully.

Allie amused herself with watching the fish for a while before getting back to her feet. Noel had mentioned breakfast and she was hungry.
She’d missed dinner- what with the wolves attacking, and the hot spring, and then apparently passing out as soon as Noel picked her up, which was odd but she wasn’t going to question it.
Maybe he’d knocked her out because he didn’t want to share the location of his nest with her. And she wouldn’t fault him for that. Everything he did that turned out to be for her benefit, good or bad seemed to have a kind of innocence about it. Innocence of how humans worked, or acted or thought. She lifted a hand to touch a large broad leafed plant as she passed it, following the stone path on through the building.
The windows were large and plentiful but near the ground they were covered in dead vines and leaves that blocked out the view of the surrounding area.
Allie came across several more piles of carefully ordered objects before she found her way to the front doors. She pushed on them, but they only moved a fraction.
“Oh come on…”
She squared her shoulders and then turned slightly to give the doors her full weight. With a loud metallic groan turned screech, they opened and she was hit with a blast of cold air and blinding sunlight.

Allie ?
Noel’s presence came questing into her mind, poking around to see if she was the cause of the noise. She stepped out of the building , letting out a laugh and shielding her eyes.

I’m here. I’m outside. The front doors need oiling.

Noel laughed. You could have just asked me to come and fetch you, you know. I haven’t opened those doors since claiming this place. Did you open them? My strong human~

She rolled her eyes and scanned the landscape.
For something that claims to not be in touch with human culture, you certainly grasp sarcasm well enough.

That’s not entirely a human invention, my dear. I’m around back. There is another entrance, one that was open to you. Please close the doors again, if you can—
He added with a smile in his voice. I do not wish the flora to perish.

Allie turned back to the open door, now leaking warmth at an astonishing rate. 

She gripped the doors by their icy metal handles and shoved them inch by inch back into place. The oxidized metal protested loudly, but with effort, she managed it, giving each one a final kick before stepping back. 

The forest surrounding Noel’s nest was unfamiliar in its landmarks, but when she looked at the snow, she saw his footprints depressed in the white. 

Following them was easy enough. She picked her way between the trees, walking the length of the white building, one hand reached out to brush against the dead vines practically swarming the structure and windows. It's brittle and the leaves she catches between her fingers crunch into nothing at the slightest pressure. In spring, did they come alive again, providing a living camouflage, or would they forever be dead, marking the building as abandoned?
Her wondering was halted when the savoury scent of cooking meat wafted on the cold breeze towards her.
Oh, she really was hungry.

Allie rounded the corner and realized that the doors she’d come from were the back doors. Noel’s nest extended out from the inside at the front, the entrance he probably regularly used.
There was an open hole in the building, worn through by weather and claws, about big enough for Noel to slip in and out at his leisure. Beyond that, was a single door that sealed the nest when he wasn’t there and protected the plants from the deadly chill.
Outside, there was random detritus scattered about, remnants from when the place had been some kind of indoor garden for the people that worked there. This included several grimy looking plastic lawn chairs and a metal and glass table.The chairs were grouped around where Noel was sitting on a large tree stump and roasting some kind of animal on a spit over a large bonfire. It was made with wood and stone, and the flames crackled merrily in the sunlight, the heat of it melting the snow around the base, revealing tufts of straw-like yellow and brown grass. 

Noel looked up at the sound of her footsteps and he looked her over once before motioning to one of the upright chairs.

Come, sit. I have food. Not human, he added when she glanced apprehensively at the fatty meat bubbling on the spit. She did as he asked and pulled up a chair.
Noel continued turning the meat, but one of his tendrils emerged and wrapped around the handles of a shopping bag, which it then deposited into her lap. Allie blinked. “Huh? What’s this?”

Winter greens.

“Really?” She didn’t hide the delight in her voice as she eagerly opened it. “Where did you find them?”

I had to search, and claw at the earth like a wild animal. The things I do for you.
Allie chuckled. “You’re definitely better at that than I ever will be.” Then she reached in and pulled out a hefty feeling tuber. There were some cattails and what looked like a strange lichen in there too. “You sure these are edible?”

His voice rumbled across the planes of her mind.
Yes. I have seen humans dig and hunt for these plants before. They will not harm you.

Allie was busy nibbling on the stalk of a cattail just to see what it tasted like. It wasn’t very good and she spat it out quickly. “Blegh, I beg to differ.”

Noel’s voice held amusement when he looked over again.
I believe you’re supposed to prepare them a certain way. But please continue, your rabbit impression is very good.
His mouth appeared and pale lips curved into a sharp-toothed grin. Allie’s cheeks heated up again and she put the cattail reed back into the bag. “Shut up.”

When the meat was ready, Noel used his claws to slice her a large portion, and took the bag from her again, selecting one of the purple tubers in it to spear on the spit instead.
Allie watched him work, remarking on how well cut the meat is as he gives her a sheet of metal to eat off of.
“Having claws must be great. You never need any weapons to hunt… and they seem really handy?”

He hummed a low note in his throat as he took the rest of the meat into his hands and bit down regardless of the heat. Translucent grease dripped down his chin.

You said the same thing about my tendrils. So you just admire me on the whole, is that it?

Allie almost choked. “What? No!”
Then when she’d stopped coughing, she added, “Maybe? I don’t know, I think apart from the human eating, being whatever you are-- it would be pretty great?”

Interesting, Noel thought. She’d shown interest in his way of life and being before, but this was the first time her words held a kind of… longing.
He licked his lips, then spoke again. A test was in order.
If you had a choice, he began, tone light. To stop being human and become something else, something like me-- would you?

Allie gave him a sidelong glance, but he wasn’t looking at her. Her eyes narrowed. “See, that? That right there? Suspicious as fuck. Are you going to tell me you have the power to turn me into something else?”

He set his lips in a line and didn’t answer. Allie leaned forwards in her chair. “Holy shit, do you???”

Noel chuckled slightly. Well, there was his answer. If she could, she just might take that plunge. Become something else. But he enjoyed her as she was, she was his human after all…  and he had no intention of changing that.

I do. But before you ask, no. I will not transform you into anything other than what you are.

Allie’s mouth fell open a little, grey eyes wide. “Seriously? It's… possible to…?”
He didn’t have to be privy to her thoughts at that exact second to know she was imagining what it would be like to become a creature as powerful as he was.
Noel sucked his fingers clean of grease.

Understand me well, Allie. It is a lengthy and dangerous process to create a Slenderkin. If you’re not born one yourself, the likelihood of you surviving the change into one is low. It is also incredibly painful for the subjected being, I have observed.

Allie whipped her head up, eyes focusing on him intently. “You’ve… tried to create Slenderkin before?”

He didn’t answer right away. Yes, he had, multiple times-- and almost all his experiments into the idea had ended in failure. All but one.
I have thought of creating a companion for myself before. But now, I am here. And I have you.

Noel reached out and poked Allie’s nose, causing her to frown. “This is a lot to just drop on a girl, you know.”
He laughed and her eyes narrowed. “So I guess this means you won’t answer any more of my questions about this topic? Creating a frickin’ Slenderkin?”

His lips parted and his smile was sharp. Correct.

She just scoffed. “One day,” she said, arms crossing. “One day I’m going to trap you somehow and not let you go until you answer all my questions.”

Noel’s teeth flashed, his smile widening.
You could never trap me, Allie. This forest is my domain. I know everything that goes on inside it. I know it as well as I know the back of my hands.

He lifted one of his hands and brought it closer to her face, flexing and curling his fingers in front of her. You would have to take care that I did not trap you~

Allie just huffed and inclined her head towards the fire. “You’re burning the purple potato.”
Indeed, the purple tuber on the spit was smoking, a black char spreading in from the edges. Noel quickly took it from the flames and blew on it.
When he held it out to her she eyed it dubiously but pulled it from the stick, hissing as its hot surface stung her fingertips. “If this kills me, I’m going to never let you hear the end of it,” she warned him, before carefully breaking it into two pieces. The inside steamed and smelled… kind of like that turnip he presented her with on Samhain. It was also mushy and almost fluffy, burnt exterior notwithstanding.

Noel watched her with concern as she bit down, then yelped at the heat still emanating from the vegetable.
You don’t have to eat it while it's so hot, he told her, frowning. But Allie shook her head. “I’ve been starving for proper veggies for way too long. I don’t care if this thing is crispy charcoal, I’m eating it.”
And then she took a bite.

It was starchy, a little sweet. “Ow, fuhck itsh hot!” She yelped, screwing up her eyes in pain.

He inclined his head in a way she knew meant ‘No, really?’

I told you it would be. Why do you never listen?

She just glared, then swallowed the still hot bite of vegetable. It burned the way down and then she started to laugh, tears in her eyes.

Noel chuckled with her, and the fire crackled merrily, joining in their shared amusement.

You are a very strange human, Allie. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, for as long as it holds true.

Allie wiped at her eyes and then stuck out her tongue to cool it. Her grey eyes were twinkling. 

After their odd breakfast, Noel stretched his neck and shoulders with a low rumble before yawning. Allie watched him without fear, content to sit and digest her meal in the chair. The heat the fire gave off was suffusing and pleasant. She watched the way his dark tongue unrolled from his mouth and then curled at the tip. She wished she had such control over her tongue like that. “Can you… pick things up with your tongue?” She asked abruptly.
Noel took his time shutting his stretched jaws. A little black liquid flecked his lips as he licked them before answering.

That and more.
A small smile lifted his mouth, and then he stood, adjusting his suit slightly.
Come now, it's time for you to return to your own territory.

Allie knew that she’d have to go back to her cabin eventually, but she didn’t want to leave yet. There was so much more of Noel’s nest to explore. And what of the forest surrounding it? What mysteries were just waiting for her to discover over the next ridge? This was Noel’s home turf. She got to her feet reluctantly, frowning a little. Then, as she looked up at him, an image passed over her mind. Waking up in his nest alone in such a soft pile of things…
But… Where had he slept? Had he… slept with her?

“Noel?”
For once it seemed that he wasn’t paying attention to her thoughts, because when he answered, he seemed distracted.
Yes?
He tipped his head down towards her, waiting for her to finish her thought.
“Uh… Last night…” She began, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. “Did… did we sleep together?”
She probed his mind at the same time, feeling weirdly uncertain that he was going to lie to her.

Noel took a moment to answer. No, he responded finally. I didn’t know if you’d be fine with sharing a sleeping space, so I took my rest elsewhere. 

“Oh.” Is all she said.
Why did she feel… disappointed? Noel had been right, she would have woken in distress. Wouldn’t she?

She always was bad at shielding her thoughts. Noel saw her conflict and then crouched down to her level.
Allie… Let's get you home.
He offered her his hand, and she nodded, taking the feelings she was feeling and shoving them to the back of her mind to deal with later. “Yeah, okay.”
Her hand rested in his palm and then he was closing his fingers over it. He could crush her entire hand with ease, but his touch was gentle.

Without warning, his other hand swept her legs out from under her, and she yelped as he scooped her into his arms, still holding her other hand like she was some… dainty lady.
“N-Noel!” She yelled in surprise as he stood smoothly, the ground retreating from them swiftly. She closed her eyes so she didn’t get dizzy from how fast things happened. “Warn me next time!”

His laugh caressed her mind. 

But you make the most amusing expressions when I don’t.

Then he began walking, striding effortlessly between trees the same height or taller than him. Allie crossed her arms and just huffed. Being this close to him, she was brought back to the hot spring, where he’d pinned her to the side with his own strong body. He radiated the same heat now, even through his suit.
Her thoughts went wayward again and she had to quickly rein them back in before Noel noticed, but she needn't have worried, as he was still preoccupied, and unlike her, he was much better at keeping his thoughts private.

Allie. His human. His friend. She looked so good dressed in that silken clothing. Then again, he’d seen her nude enough times to know she looked good without anything on either. She’d asked him if he’d slept next to her, and it was true, he had not. But gods, he had wanted to. To run his fingers through her hair and curl his body around her, not to protect her, no. Allie could protect herself from most threats most efficiently. No, he’d wanted to cover her with his body because his scent would be all over her then. Marked. 

Mine.
She’d seemed disappointed with his answer, and it had sent a thrill through him. Did she feel it too? The undeniable… connection they had? A Slenderkin and a human, he’d never have thought it possible, not with him. Michaelis had no problems being around, charming and even bedding humans. Some even went to his bed willingly, knowing exactly what was waiting for them in the dawn! He would never understand the power of his brother’s carnal magnetism, but he was starting to feel his own. Allie’s mere presence made his blood heat, his mind whirl with images and ideas, and it was only for her sake that he was keeping himself in check.
She was speaking to him again, so he made an effort to tune back in and listen.

“...an I come by and visit your nest again sometime?”

Oh, Allie.

Noel clenched his jaw slightly. When he was ready, he spoke.

Perhaps.

And that was all he dared say. If she only knew how he saw her… What he was starting to realize he wanted… Would she accept him? Or would she look at him the way she had when he first revealed himself to her? A monster, something alien and abhorrent? He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he was ready to know.
Maybe Allie sensed that he wasn’t really all there, because she asked no more questions and just watched the forest go by as they journeyed.

When they got nearer to her ‘territory’ as he’d called it, Allie felt his grip on her tighten some, the only sign he gave that he was going to teleport.
As usual the instantaneous transport stole the breath from her lungs, but a blink and they were standing outside her cabin, the sunlight glinting off the windows. She inhaled the chill air and then looked up at Noel to thank him. She wasn’t expecting him to be looking down at her.
“Ah… Th-thanks for the ride, Noel,” she said, caught off guard a little by his strange behavior. “A-And for letting me stay the night.”
After a long moment of silence where Noel didn’t so much as move, she cleared her throat. “You… You can put me down now.”

He stirred, inclined his head and then easily set her feet on the ground.
Take care of yourself, Allie. Don’t run afoul of any more wolves, and as always, if you need anything… He straightened up. You know how to find me.

And then, before she could reply, his frame flickered and he vanished from sight.

Feeling weirdly off-balance, Allie turned her back on the woods and opened the door, slipping inside. 

Over the next few weeks, her life returned to a semblance of normalcy. Hunt, forage, eat, sleep, repeat. Winter would have never been her most active season, she knew that from the start. But the short days and long nights found her sleeping to fill the gaps between activities. And she would have been fine with conserving her energy if it wasn’t for the dreams.
For weeks she’d been plagued by dreams of Noel. They started innocently enough, she was walking through the misty, pale trees aimlessly, without making any sound. 

She woke with a strange feeling in her chest like she was missing something, hours before dawn. Her next dream continued where the first one left off. She was looking for something, feeling distressed the longer she went without finding it. 

And then, looming out of the darkness, Noel. She ran right up to him, and he crouched down, placing his hands on either side of her cheeks, caressing her skin. 

In her dream, she was safe, relieved. She nuzzled against his warm touch. His fingers tilted her chin towards him...

And then he kissed her.

Allie woke with a start to sunlight streaming into her cabin from the windows. Just a dream. It didn’t mean anything. She tried to put it out of her mind, go on with her tasks.

 But it stuck with her the whole day. And every time she thought of it, she felt a warmth spread through her cheeks. Noel would never kiss her because he wasn’t attracted to her. She was human, and he ate humans.
But still, even while she was busy laying snares, or digging edible roots from the snowy earth with her knife, even when she tried to focus on the job at hand, she couldn’t help but wonder, what would it be like?

He’d never touch her face so lovingly, but what would it feel like?
He’d never kiss her like that, but what would it taste like?
Allie had no idea, and the more she thought about these things, the more flustered and restless she became. Distracted by the memory of Noel’s bare chest at the hot spring, she sliced into her thumb while preparing a rabbit and let out a yelp, stuffing it into her mouth to suck on. This was ridiculous. She had just been without human company for too long, that was it. She couldn’t honestly be… attracted to Noel. Not in this or any way!
But the seeds were already planted, and in the darkness of her subconscious, they began to grow.

His tendrils coiled around her bare skin, her waist, her thighs. His long tongue slid warm and wet up her throat and into her mouth, and she parted her lips for it. Their tongues danced, he was leading, and his claws skimmed down her collarbones to cup her breasts. They were so small in his hands, but his touch was gentle. His thumbs depressed and massaged her nipples, and she felt pleasure sweeping up her spine to claim her--

Noel paced his nest. Back and forth, trying to calm himself enough to sleep.
Allie was dreaming, and as was usual when she slept, she broadcasted her dreams across the mental landscape for all to hear and partake in.
And tonight, her dreams were…
A shudder ran through his shoulders and crawled down his spine. He was hot, his tie was choking him. With a low growl he tugged at it, pulled it free and threw it to the ground.
She was dreaming of him. That was nothing new. But the eroticism of tonight’s dream hit him like a train. She wanted him. Whether she realized it or not, she wanted him, his touch, his taste, his body against hers. Noel snarled suddenly and dragged his claws down a metal pole that supported the roof, drawing sparks and a horrendous screech from the metal. It was not enough. He was battling with himself, with the desire to go to her, make her dreams a reality.
The vividness of them was branded onto the forefront of his mind.
Too hot.
He was too hot. His skin was prickling, he was full of desire.
Noel quickly tore off his jacket and flung it elsewhere, not bothering with the buttons on his white shirt. They popped off and scattered in his fervour. He leant against the cool pole, the chill seeping through him. But it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t near enough.

Allie… What are you doing to me?!

Noel’s tendrils emerged from the dark bruise-like spots on either side of his spine and hooked into his belt, deftly undoing it while he wrapped his hands around the pole to steady himself.
The animal urges to abandon all reason and go take what he craves is strong, but as his pants fell to his feet, he kicked them away and staggered to his nest, flopping down onto his back in it.
He dug his claws into the soft furs and blankets beneath him, breathing hard. She was still dreaming and he could still see.

--Her moans were swallowed by his tongue as his fingers lightly rubbed her inner thighs in circles, moving smoothly nearer and nearer to the core of her arousal every time. She needed him to touch her there, or else she’d go mad. “Please,” she whispered, and he obliged, slipping one finger into her tightness while his thumb stroked over her clit at the same time—

Noel’s great hand curled around the shaft of his impressive length and he groaned lowly at the sensation.
He needed to get this lust out of his system before it destroyed him and everything he’d built with Allie.
His head fell back as he started to stroke his cock, his chest rising and falling with each motion.
He took a deep breath and scents something that had him stiffen. It's her! She’s here?
He looked swiftly round, then relaxed. Not Allie. Just an article of clothing she left behind. A tendril slithered across his chest and went searching, finally hooking the black fabric at the edge of the nest and he took it in his other hand to inspect it.
This is…

He brought it to his face and took a sniff, and his head was suddenly full of Allie, her pure scent, sweat and fluids combined in a heady mixture.
Another needful growl left his throat as he remembered. He’d taken her underwear to dispose of-- and must have forgotten. His fingers closed around the pair of panties and he shuddered again. He should throw them away. He knew this, and yet, instead he brought them to his face, nuzzling against them like a simple house cat against an object of affection. Allie’s scent… Would she smell just as good in person? He needed to taste her.

Noel knew that if he proceeded with what he was about to do, that there’d be no going back. He’d need more, so much more. But he couldn’t help himself, his body pulsed with heat, and his pale cock was cherry pink with desire, dripping its lust onto his hand.
Allie would be his, whether she consciously wanted it or not.

His tongue slithered out from his mouth and he licked the stained fabric, tasting the essence seeped in from weeks of contact with her skin. Her image blossomed in his mind's eye, naked, squirming beneath his body, her pale hair fanned out behind her as he took her, all of her, made her feel things she’d never felt, devoured her.
...Fuck.

He licked the panties again, then pressed them to his face as he began to stroke himself in earnest, up and down until his silken skin was slippery with his precum and the noises that came from him bordered on obscene.
His stamina was great, and as he drank in the pleasure coming from his loins, he indulged himself in fantasizing about what he would do to Allie when he got his claws on her. How she would look with his tendrils all over her, the noises she would make as he tasted her from the source. Would she resist him? Or give herself to him completely?
It didn’t matter if she said no the first time. In this, he was certain. She was his. She’d realize just how deep their connection went once he showed her just how much he needed her. And just how much she secretly needed him.

Noel’s abdominal muscles tense as he approached his climax, his breathing harsh and his thoughts scattering. He let out a roar of pleasure as his cock swelled, jerked and erupted in his hand, strings of pearly white semen splashing from between his fingers and coating his chest, dripping down his sides.
As he felt his body relax, he let out a satisfied purr and then lifted his hand to his lips, black tongue curling out and cleaning his fingers of his seed.
Allie was no longer dreaming, it was nearly dawn.
You will see, my sweet human. My Allie... I will do this for you… for us.

Chapter Text

The rabbit squealed, its front leg caught in the snare. Allie approached quickly, lest another predator hear its cries and come for the easy kill.
The rabbit’s coat was white and its eyes liquid dark as it stared up at her in fear, its forepaw firmly trapped, its long silken ears folded back.
She pitied it.
She crouched down, shushed it and reached out to pet its soft ruffled fur. Its little nose twitched constantly, and even as she smoothed its ears back and tried to soothe it, it kept trying to escape.
“There’s no escape, buddy. This is the end, but don’t worry… I’ll make it quick.” 

She murmured the words quietly, apologetically. 

She’d gotten over her aversion to killing animals long ago, but there was still sadness in her voice as she reached out and grabbed the rabbit’s scruff, wrapping her fingers around its neck. It pawed at her hand and struggled, but Allie moved smoothly and with purpose, slipping the palm of her other hand under its chin. “Okay, here we go. Nice and easy.”
On ‘easy’ her wrist snapped forwards with sharp and precise pressure, and there was a wet pop as the rabbit’s neck broke. Its little white body convulsed, back legs kicking and nerves twitching, but she was already removing the snare from its leg, knowing it had died the moment its spine had been severed.

Allie reset her snare and then stood, holding the now limp corpse by its back legs as she looked up at the darkening forest. There were already stars peeking through the red twilight sky, and so she left, hiking back through the woods towards her homestead.

With dinner full in her belly and the fire crackling merrily, Allie stripped out of her shirt and pants to get ready to sleep. She frowned down at herself, lifting her hands to her breasts, palming them and wincing. They were… oddly tender. She lightly squeezed her nipples and let out a soft gasp. Oh that was nice, but something about it unnerved her. There was no place for pleasure when every day was spent struggling to survive.
Still. She moved to seat her bottom on the bear pelt that was her blanket, thick and warm, and the fur felt… pleasing against the bare skin of her thighs. She lay almost completely naked on her back, rubbing against the softness, feeling her body temperature rise slightly. She shouldn’t be doing this… even if it felt good.
Her hand coasted down between her sensitive breasts and played circles on her flat belly as she breathed deeply, feeling her skin move with her breath. She was still wearing the panties Noel had dressed her in, robin’s egg blue and satin feeling. Her fingers travelled further to gently stroke at the fabric between her thighs.
No place for this, she had said, but really the reason she tried to keep herself chaste was because of what she thought about when allowed to pleasure herself.

With very little to fantasize about in the forest, Allie had resorted to using her imagination. None of the animals did anything for her, and the closest she’d gotten to a real fantasy was when she tried to imagine what would happen if another human had stumbled upon her bathing at the lake. It had been an amusing and satisfying fantasy until… that day with Noel and the wolves. The events in the hot spring. He had ruined it for her.
At the thought of his name, her pulse quickened. Not a beast and not a man, but something close to both. Ever since she started having those…. Erotic dreams, she couldn’t shake the feeling inside of her.
It was a pent up feeling that demanded release, an insistent thought that demanded action. But she couldn’t. She shied away from it.  The thought of standing before him and confessing the feelings that soaked her panties at night. The thought of how he’d react, good or bad, terrified her. It was a leap off a cliff into unknown, strange territory and one she didn’t know if she was willing to take.

She’d seen him naked. His body was impressive and endowed and it haunted her sleep. The attraction she felt was a thing that thrilled and horrified her in equal measure, that she would want a monster in the ways she was feeling, dreaming… desiring. Something was wrong with her on a fundamental level.

Noel’s frame filled her mind's eye, his large hands, long pale fingers tipped with wickedly sharp claws moving up, up to undo his red tie. Why the fuck did he wear a suit anyway?
He was clearly as comfortable in his skin as he was in his oddly formal attire. And she couldn’t deny that he looked equally as appealing in both.

Allie’s fingers curled against her panties and she found the cleft of her sex through the fabric. She shouldn't have these thoughts. She shouldn’t want Noel, the only thing separating her from the unlucky people he fed on was that she got to know him. He allowed her to get close. She was just lonely. Starved for affection, even though she didn’t remember ever having any in the first place.
The sudden image of his teeth, sharp, curved and glittering with saliva in the sun flashed behind her closed eyelids and she shuddered, feeling heat crawling down her spine. Noel… He was dangerous. The image shifted to his tongue, thick, black and dripping dark liquid as it squirmed against her bare breasts, and she let out a little whimper and gave in, sliding her fingers under the band of her panties to touch herself more intimately.

She was already wet? Shameless, this lust.
She could feel the moisture spreading across her folds and the pads of her fingertips as she found her clitoris and rubbed it in a circle. It felt so good she squirmed against her blanket, legs stretching open further.
Oh but this was only part of what she wanted.
Allie cursed under her breath, and bit her lip as she let her wayward digits wander down, towards her aching core. She slid one finger into herself and let out a pleasured sigh, stroking her insides with it deeper and deeper still. She thought she felt something strange in her deepest parts, but that thought was stolen away by the almost animal need coursing through her.
More.
She added another finger inside of her, and stretched the two of them apart, which only frustrated her. It wasn’t enough. Not even when she played with her breasts at the same time, still… she ached.

Noel’s fingers would be enough.

The thought caught her completely off guard and she groaned, closing her thighs with a soft slap and curling onto her side.
No, no, no! She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t masturbate while thinking of him.
She hadn’t felt him around for weeks, but what if he heard her thoughts?
She would throw herself off a cliff.

Allie took a deep breath and then shifted to a sitting position, her long white hair falling over her shoulders. Looking out the nearest window, she could see the bright eye of the moon watching her. Judging her.
The thought of Noel hearing her most intimate whisperings was enough to cool her libido, at least for now. Though there was still a hot ache inside her that made sitting still uncomfortable.

She let out a growl, cursed Noel under her breath and then slid beneath her blankets. It took her a while to fall asleep, but when she did blessedly close her eyes, she did not dream.

Allie woke to a wet bed.
As soon as sleep left her, she immediately threw her blankets clear and sat up, letting out a disoriented yelp of horror.
Her thighs were smeared in blood. It was bright red and there was a large stain underneath her, soaking into the bed.
She wasted no time in vaulting upright and tearing off those once pretty blue panties. They landed in a soggy heap in the corner. She twisted to grab her shirt, then a stab of pain had her almost doubling over.
“Ow!! Wh-What’s going on?!”
Her pulse was racing, and her hands were shaking as she groaned and rode out the strange wave of pain.
More blood leaked from her and trickled down her thigh.
After the pain faded, her survival instincts kicked in. She tore the shirt in her grip into pieces with her teeth and wadded one up between her legs.
Was she bleeding out? Did something inside her tear somehow?
The fear tasted as iron as the blood smelled.
She let out another groan as a fresh cramp tightened her abdomen and brought tears to her eyes. What was happening?! Was she dying?
Her breath hitched in, too shallow, too shaky.
Her fingertips were red with blood, sticky and wet.
She could feel whatever injury inside of her still bleeding, soaking the shirt fabric she’d used to try and stop it. It wasn’t stopping!

Several things happened simultaneously. Allie felt Noel’s presence appear out of nowhere, he called her name, and then her front door was torn from its hinges.
There was a hideous crunch of wood and then the door and part of the roof was gone, ripped away by furious, desperate claws.

Allie!

Allie stumbled towards the blinding sunlight, and then Noel was there, reaching in. She let his claws and tendrils lift and carry her from the once cabin, clutching them tight and wincing at the repetitive pain in her belly. “S-Something’s wrong!” She gasped out, and he let out a growl, pulling her close to his chest to examine her. She whimpered as he examined her hands, her arms, her back, pressed on her belly with two fingers, then lower. She couldn’t stop crying.

Allie, Noel said with concern in his voice. Let me see.
She whimpered again, her knees pressed together tightly.
Let me see, he said again, gently but also with more authority.

Still hyperventilating, she squeezed her eyes shut and let him slide his fingers between her legs and pull them open. She waited, heart thundering in her chest.
But Noel said nothing as the blood continued to flow.
She couldn’t take it anymore. “A-Am I going to die??”
In answer, Noel let out a strange rumbling noise.
No, Allie. You are not going to die.

“What’s wrong with me?” She insisted, braving a look at him. Noel’s mouth was open, only slightly, like he was inhaling the scent of her blood. Something about that made her shiver. She could feel her nipples hardening in the cool breeze.
“...Noel?”

You are in heat.

Allie’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, she found her tongue. “Wh-What?”
Noel’s grip on her thighs tightened and he seemed to struggle just as hard as she had for words. He slid his dark tongue out and licked across his lips.
You’re in heat, Allie. You’re ready for breeding.

A low growl undercut his words, one that made her skin prickle. His lip curled back from his fangs slightly, revealing his black gums.
“Noel…?”
She spoke softly, warily. “Noel, put me down.”
He let out a huff of air through his open jaws, something she’d only seen him do when he was struggling to keep ahold of his baser instincts. Her heart picked up its pace. “N-Noel…”
He shook his head from side to side and let out another growl, his black tendrils coming from his back and wrapping tightly around her ankles and wrists and her waist. “Noel!” She yelled, shocked. “Put me down!”

I… Can’t.
His words were clipped, strained.
You smell… so good, Allie.

She opened her mouth to protest, but then one of his tendrils wound around her throat and gagged her, its tip resting against her tongue. Her eyes widened and she stared up at her monster as his jaw unhinged with a crack.
Oh god, was he going to eat her?!

I need… to taste.

She tried to speak past the tentacle in her mouth, but it slid deeper between her lips, making speech impossible. All she was able to get out was fearful noise.
She tried reaching him through their mental bond, but she hit a wall of dark and fearsome hunger.
Oh god. She’d been so wrong. There was nothing that separated her from his prey.

Noel’s body shifted, looming over her restrained form as she writhed and struggled. His mouth opened again, and she knew he was tasting her scent.
She tried biting down on the tentacle in her mouth, but it just pressed to the back of her throat and made her retch. With tears in her eyes, she renewed her struggling.

Hungry.
The word came from him like a brand, hot and searing into her thoughts. She froze.
He wouldn’t eat her, would he? She wasn’t sure any more.

Noel! You have to get a hold of yourself!!
She threw the words at him, raking her psychic claws against his walls, trying to make him notice her.
He didn’t even flinch as he brought her body up to his face. She could see the black saliva dripping between his teeth and down his chin. She closed her eyes in terror, muscles tensing up in preparation for the first bite.

The sensation of a hot, wet thing against her inner thigh made her squirm and gasp instead.
Once, Noel had groomed her as gently as a cat groomed his kitten, but now, his tongue lapped roughly at her bloodied skin like he couldn’t get enough of her taste.
Oh fuck. 

Her eyes snapped open again.

 Despite her terror, her body was heating up. The way Noel was holding her legs open as he cleaned her sticky skin, the feeling of his hot breath on her pussy… She was starting to feel that ache inside of her again.

Noel wanted her… Or he wanted to eat her. Maybe both, she couldn’t tell at this point. 

 And there was nothing she could do to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to her. Was she so sure this wasn’t what she wanted too?

Noel…

He let out another rough growl at the sound of his name and sank his teeth into her thigh.
Her cry of pain was muffled by the tendril gagging her, but as the tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks, he withdrew and licked the mark. 

For that was what it was, a claiming mark.
Allie coughed and tried to dislodge her gag, twisting her wrists in their fleshy restraints.

Noel pulled back, and she froze when she saw her own blood on his lips.

Delicious. 

Another word made of fire in her mind.
You’re delicious, Allie. I can’t help myself any longer.

Before she could ready herself, he tipped her body backwards, so that she was almost upside down, her most vulnerable parts on display for him. She let out another muffled curse as his tongue ran up her ass crack, sampling the trail of red that came from inside her. She saw stars as he licked a broad swipe up her pussy, flicking his tongue against her clit, and the ache became a throb. 

Oh fucking hell…

She needed him to do that again. 

She couldn’t reach his thoughts, but he absolutely could hear hers. His tongue made another round against her sensitive flesh and her spine arched. Fingers could not compare to how good it felt. He lapped at her clit a few more times, then focussed on her dripping hole. She shuddered and then her eyes closed as the tip of the slick appendage pushed into her. She could feel his heat through her flesh and it made a gargled moan slip from her lips.

N...Noel…!
Noel swirled the tip of his tongue around the rim of her vaginal hole and then pressed in deep. Allie bit down on the tendril in surprise as more of his tongue stretched and curled inside her.

Fuck!
It began to withdraw, only to force itself to her deepest corners and repeat the motion. With each thrust, her resistance fell more and more to pieces. She wanted this. God, did she want it.

As Noel began to steadily tongue fuck her and eat her out, the tentacle in her mouth began to do the same. It thrust back and forth between her teeth, playing with her tongue until her saliva lubricated it and she closed her lips around it willingly and began sucking on it.
Her breasts pulsed with the need to be touched, and once again, Noel read her mind. Two more tentacles slid over her belly and coiled around her tits, squeezing them alternatively.

Perhaps sensing that Allie wasn’t going to make any more of a fuss, the tendril in her mouth withdrew, dripping across her chin to slither down her belly and toy with her clit.

“Oh f--fuck, N-Noel~!!”
Free to make noise, Allie did just that, panting as Noel’s tongue and tendrils worked together to bring her closer to her release.
She panted and closed her legs around him, to encourage him.
He let out a feral snarl, a rippling sound that thrilled through her core and made her muscles clench on his tongue.
That was enough to do it, she let out a sharp and loud “Ohh!!!” and then climaxed against his lips, flooding his mouth with her juices.
Noel let out another snarl and swallowed, her fluids mixed with his dark saliva, the liquid dripping to the ground in a puddle beneath them.
Allie lay in her restraints, recovering from the burst of ecstasy. She let out a moan as Noel’s tongue twisted inside of her, catching something even deeper in her body. She released a mixed cry of pain and pleasure as it was torn from her belly and he withdrew from between her thighs, something small and metal between his teeth.
Allie stared at it, dazed and panting. “What… what is that??”
Noel didn’t answer, he just turned his head and spit it away.

The tendrils released their holds on her limbs, and Noel cradled her in his arms, gentle again.

Allie.

His voice was rough and breathless, but it lacked the force and animal ferocity from before. He was back in control.

She shuddered, lifting her head to him. “Noel…”

I need you Allie. I’ve never felt anything like this… I don’t know if I can stop now that I’ve started. Don’t make me stop… Please.

His bloodied thumb traced over her bottom lip as he leaned his face closer towards her.
Her limbs were like jelly, but she didn’t care.
She took his jaw into both her hands and kissed him, taking the initiative to slide her own tongue against his thin lips until he opened his mouth. She swiped her tongue against his teeth, and then he met her and his hand came to her cheek to guide the kiss.
When his tongue entered her mouth, it tasted strange. Not bad, just different to what she’d always imagined. She sucked on it, letting out a growl of her own. 

“I know,” she mumbled, taking that final leap. “I don’t want you to stop.”
She bit his lower lip hard enough to draw his blood, and that was the catalyst.
Noel snarled ferally and then he grabbed her waist in one hand and dropped to his fours. She was tossed to the ground, ground that was cold and wet, snow melting all around her in the early spring sunshine.

Noel reared back and his claws tore at his jacket.
He left his shirt and tie on after struggling with them for several seconds, then his belt flew off and landed next to her. Allie watched, in awe of his fervor, all his usual decorum abandoned in place of all consuming desire. She stared up at him as he worked to take off his pants, eyes fixed on the distinct shape of his cock against the fabric.
She’d only seen him flaccid, but she could tell now that he was much bigger when excited.
He let out another snarl and then, the pants fell to his ankles, and he dropped back down, panting from the exertion.

I forgot I was wearing clothes, he admitted and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Noel grumbled, then dived down to capture her mouth in another kiss; silencing her, one of his hands curving down her shoulder and back, claws gently tracing her ribs before rising up to cup one of her breasts.

Allie let out a sigh and smiled up at him. “You have no idea how long I’ve… dreamed of this.”
He chuckled deeply in reply and then his mouth was on her neck, insistent kisses and nips that sometimes drew blood if he got too eager.

You forget I’ve always been privy to your dreams. You can’t help but have them so loudly~

He was holding himself back as he touched her, she could tell, the tension in his body evident in his shoulders. Allie reached out and snagged his swinging tie as he hovered his torso over her. She tugged him back close. “I know you. You’ll be gentle.”

It's not a matter of being gentle, he said in response.
I could very easily damage you with barely any effort… or kill you. 

She knew, of course. How could she not? He was a literal monster. “Then I’ll haunt you from beyond the grave. Or, you’ll just have to make me whatever your kind is.”

Noel growled again and just nuzzled his face against her chest, not wanting to answer.  His tongue curled out and slithered against one of her breasts before he took her right nipple in his mouth. She let out a squeak and thrust her torso off the ground towards him. “Fuck, that’s good…”
He chuckled and used his hand to pinch and tug at her other nipple. 

His voice was rough, deep and sensual.

I love your noises, Allie. Make more.

She furrowed her brow, but then he sucked her breast up off her chest and then let it drop and she moaned. “Nhmm..”

That’s it. Sing for me.

Allie wanted to tell him that she wasn’t a singer, but Noel slid two fingers down her chest and ribcage, all the way down to her still sopping wet pussy and wiggled two fingers into her hole at once. Her body jolted like she’d been electrified as he curled them inside her.
“A-Ahh~!!”

Thats it. That’s what I want to hear. You are so sensitive, Allie. So delicious.

He fucked her with his fingers, careful of his claws, just enjoying the sight of her spread out on the ground beneath him. He loved it. She was his, and she always would be. He just needed to complete the ritual.

He’d seen humans rutting like animals in the woods before, and he’d seen animals at it too. But until he met Allie, he’d never thought much about sex, period. That was always Michaelis’s thing. It was his hook, line and sinker.

But for Noel… He’d caught and penetrated a doe or two when he felt the need, and that was it. Now he had a human, his human, and he wanted to pin her down and bury his cock inside of her like a beast, fucking her until she swelled with his seed, but also hold her close and make love to her like she deserved.
He knew that rushing this could have devastating consequences. So he continued to thrust his two fingers into her and stretch her at the same time.
If this was going to work at all, she needed to be loose and willing. She seemed to be willing, enough that it made his blood hot. But he couldn’t lose his head and risk losing her.

How does it feel, Allie? Describe it to me.

Allie’s head shifted from side to side as he continued to pleasure her with his fingers. He pressed them in deep and she winced.
Noel immediately stilled and looked her over.

Did I hurt you?

She shook her head, trying to articulate just what that feeling had been. “Just a little sore inside… What was that thing you pulled out of me with your tongue earlier?

He tipped his head to one side, recalling it and then rumbled in his chest.

A human device. I did not know its function.

His fingers resumed their gentle pistoning within her and soon all thoughts of that ‘human device’ were driven out of her head completely.
She grasped at the snow and dirt on either side of her as he quickened and deepened his pace, this time being careful not to hit her cervix. He couldn’t guarantee that safety when he finally mounted her, but by then she wouldn’t feel the pain, he’d make sure of that.

“N-Noel, fuck, I’m g-getting close…” Her breathing quickened again, her face rapt with pleasure.

He marvelled at how sensitive her everything was. Had she really never touched herself before this? Or was he just as skilled at the act of sex as his brother? That would be something to brag about if he saw him again. But it didn’t matter now. Now he was going to claim every part of his Allie, mark her body with his scent and her insides with his seed. No creature would dare dispute that he was her mate.

Mate. He never thought he’d apply the word to himself. Even Michaelis only satisfied his various hungers with the humans he entertained, he’d never kept one that wasn’t bound to him as a thrall.

Allie was no thrall, Noel told himself, watching her body spasm with orgasm, hearing her melodious, wild cries as she let herself come undone. She was perfect, strong and good. She was also wrong, she could sing quite well.

His fingers squished within her and he tested her pliance as she finally went limp, carefully withdrawing his digits, holding them up for her to see just how wet she’d been. They were pink with her blood, but most of the moisture seemed to be her lubrication. This was good.  She would still be tight, so impossibly tight--but he’d insulate her mind from that discomfort.

Soaked, Allie. And sweet as honey,
He purred.
You’re such a delectable treat. I cannot wait to be inside you~

He slipped both fingers into his mouth and she blushed darkly, her skin slightly perspiring in the heat of the sun.
He shifted his position and she looked up at the phallus between his legs with new apprehension. “Noel, there’s… No way.”
He leaned down to nuzzle his face against hers.

Do you trust me?

She bit her lip. The answer was yes of course, but looking at what he was wielding was a little nerve wracking. She wanted it though.
Even if it would hurt, or damage her, the heat in her belly, pulsing in her clit and deep inside her cervix… It wouldn’t be denied. It drove her to press a kiss to his lips. “I do.”

Noel let out a grateful purr and then slid one hand beneath her waist, supporting her spine.

Let me in, and you won't feel a thing.

She eyed his dick one more time and then raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.
He let out a soft laugh.
You know what I mean, Allie.

“I do,” she repeated, then bit her lip and lifted a hand to his face. “And I know what you want to do… Are you sure it’ll work?”

He licked up her cheek, a slow and sensuous action.
Only one way to find out~

Allie lightly shoved his face away, another laugh breaking through her nerves, but then she nodded. “Okay. Let's do it.”
Noel’s mind reached for hers, his mental claws hovering just beyond her walls, waiting for her to take the final step.
She surrendered herself completely to him, and his presence washed over her own, seeping into the cracks and crevices of her body. Allie felt a blanket of calm surrounding her, but Noel’s voice came through, clear as glass.

Comfortable, my darling?

Her entire being was just a small spark of light cradled in his hands, protected from everything. She wasn’t entirely numb, she could still speak, and when he ran a hand across her side she felt it, the gentle scrape of his claws on her skin making her flesh break out in goosebumps.
She was aware of feeling Noel’s hold on her body, and of the feeling in his hands too. 

They had never been closer than this.

Allie’s inner voice was in the utmost abstract, but she knew Noel could understand her thoughts, simplified as they were. 

I’m ready, she told him. He stroked her mind in return and then her body was being tilted backwards again. Noel’s hand supported her back and hips, kneeling over her. Two of his tendrils curled up her thighs and wound around them, holding them open for him. He pressed his hips forwards, and Allie’s breath hitched a little as the tapered head of his pale member rubbed against her lower lips.
Noel hesitated, and she felt it. Along with feeling a desire strong enough to have him drooling, he was nervous.

“Noel, she said aloud, words slow and careful, reassuring. “I want this. I want to be with you like this. It's okay.”

He let out another purr, then dipped his head to kiss her once more, gently thrusting his cock against her clit and lips to lubricate it further.
Allie moaned into his mouth, and he slipped his tongue in, a deep kiss, a messy affair.
She was a little light headed by the time he pulled away, and then with a tendril carefully guided his leaking tip to her entrance.

He took a shuddering breath, mouth still close to hers, and then started to slowly push his cock into her.

Allie’s lips parted wider as she felt herself stretch further then she had with his fingers or his tongue. It burned, but with Noel’s presence shielding her mind, it wasn’t more than vaguely uncomfortable. The biggest sensation she could understand was that he was thicker in girth than she had anticipated and he satiated that throb within her core that craved something bigger than her own fingers. His tongue had silenced it for a time, but now it was back, roaring at her for more.

“Oh my god--”
Allie’s blurted words came out in a rush, and Noel groaned and paused, a good inch and a half of his cock buried inside of her. She could feel how tight she was around him, with occasional flutterings of her walls clenching and relaxing against the intrusion.

“N-Noel, how… How do I feel?”
She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, resting against his strong shoulders. The fabric of his shirt was soft against her skin.
Noel seemed to be at a loss for words, as he just groaned again and pressed his face against her throat, nuzzling against it, hot breath against her bare flesh.

Feels… indescribable. 

His tongue curled out of his mouth and licked up the column of her neck, so white and unmarked. If he wanted, he could tear out her throat with ease. They both knew it, but when he gently grazed his teeth against her skin it only heightened her arousal.

Allie… My Allie.

Noel’s hips pulled back in increments, then pressed forwards again, pushing more of his length into her.
Allie let out a little squeak, then shuddered, but at the same time, she curled her fingers against the nape of his neck and tipped her head back. “Fuck… this is… I don’t know how to… Noel, I have no words.”

His laughter rumbled her chest and in her mind.

Don’t stroke my ego like that, Allie. We have only just begun~

He bit lightly at the crook of her neck and shoulder and rolled his hips at the same time and she moaned again, feeling him rub against her insides in a most delightful way.

“Y-You sure you’ve never done this before?”
She laughed, letting her eyes fall closed.

Only to a deer or two.

Allie’s eyes snapped open again and she opened her mouth to ask what the actual fuck that meant, but he just grinned and stole her lips in a kiss, reducing her words to groans of her own.
Noel took his time drawing the kiss out until she stopped thinking about whether or not he’d fornicated with animals, and then growled against her lips, almost feral.

Deep breath, Allie.

“Hnnhh—Ohh~”
Allie gasped the sound as Noel’s cock slid as deep as it could go, gently pressing up against her cervix. “H-Holy shit…”
She glided one of her hands down to her belly. She could almost feel the shape of him within her. Almost.
“Holy shit,” she repeats, rubbing her abdomen. “Th-That feels so… amazing,” she breathed, and Noel purred, reveling in her experience along with her. She was so warm, so tight, it felt amazing for him too.
After a few moments of that pressure and heat, Noel realized that it wasn’t enough for him to have her like this, he needed more.

Allie, I need to fuck you. Now.

She let her eyes flutter open again, in time to see him come closer, his lips parted like her own.

I need to move.

She felt a surge of warmth in her chest. He sounded desperate, almost begging, but even still, he waited for her approval.
“Fuck me Noel,” She whispered, bringing his mouth to hers, their lips barely touching again. His growl made her tingle all the way down her spine, and he started thrusting his hips, slowly and unevenly at first, little by little getting both of them used to it until his cock pulled out farther and farther each time and thrust back in deep.
Allie’s words were stolen and the only noises she could make were almost as animal as his own as they rutted together. It wasn’t long before the precum he’d been leaking and her own lubrication started making things messy, sloppy, made the motion of his cock pistoning inside her smooth and silken.

With their minds as entwined as they were, Allie could feel not only her own pleasure, but Noel’s as well, and vice versa. It was an experience she couldn’t describe.
He let his tongue hang out, black saliva dripping down between her breasts, grunting every time his cock was gripped by her vaginal sheath and slid against her walls. 

You’re perfect, Allie, he panted, a lustful growl undercutting his words again. You were made just for me. You’re mine, you’re mine, you’re mine!

Noel’s voice echoed in the deepest recesses of her mind and her body undulated slightly in his grip. She was lost in the whirlwind that was his carnal need and her own. His claws pricked into her sides, drawing beads of blood from her sweaty skin, and then the sound of his hips slapping against hers increased in pace and she mewled like a cat in heat, her own nails dragging down the back of his neck, leaving red scratch marks, too blunt to break his skin but he seemed to enjoy it nonetheless.

His tongue dragged up her breasts, rough and slick with dark saliva as it lapped against her hard, puffy nipples and made her toes curl. “Noel!”
He held her secure as he thrust his cock against her deepest wall, hitting all of those most sensitive places within her at once.

A tendril slid from around one of her legs and started flicking at her clit almost torturously.
Allie arched hard as she came without warning, her wail the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

Noel wasn’t even close to being done with her, but he gentled his motions as she rode out the wave, growling with his own pleasure as she tightened and loosed around him over and over through it.

I think that’s my favourite part of this, he said with a smile in his voice. Watching you come undone because of me.

Allie tried to say something but all that came from her lips was a low groan, and her eyes fluttered closed.

Are you done already, darling~?
He purred in her ear, then stilled within her and carefully slid out. He held her in his arms as he shifted position, leaning back this time. The cold ground didn’t bother him, but it did seep through his shirt.

Allie, he gently prompted, setting her down onto his bare skin, heat in his voice.
See what you do to me.

She opened her eyes to see his cock, upright and smeared with pale pink blood and her juices throbbing in front of her.
Its tip was darker pink then the ivory shaft, and there was a knot forming at the base.
She licked her lips, then looked up at him.
“You’re insatiable, aren’t you?”

He laughed and his lips quirked. 

My stamina isn’t something I’ve ever really had to test before. Are you finished with me? I wouldn’t blame you if you were.

Allie’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like a challenge.”
Noel lifted a hand to cup her cheek, brushing some of her sweat sticky hair from her face.

Understand me when I say we have time, I will have you in every way I desire before I am satiated with your body. But if you need to stop...

She bit her lip, looking at his hard dick lightly twitching in front of her. She was soaked, her own fluids running down the insides of her thighs, so messy, so… animal. There was no way she was done today.

She carefully got to her knees, walking her fingers up his belly and chest.
“Well I,” she said as she lightly fingered his red tie. “Am nowhere near done with you.”

Noel purred his delight as she tugged him forwards for a kiss and then reached behind her and wrapped her hand around his shaft.
It was too thick for her to close her hand around, but she managed.

He just watched her with a hungry tilt to his head, body trembling at her touch. She loved that, and so while she was positioning herself, she gave his cock a stroke.

Allie. Noel growled, almost a rebuke.
If you tease me I will make you regret it.

She grinned sultrily at him, then licked her lips. His hands slid to her sides, dancing over her ribs and hips.

I have seen humans mate like this. This position allows the female much more control.

She laughed, then groaned as she slowly lowered herself onto him, the tapered tip going in easy, then spreading her wide the lower she went. “You pervert…watching humans fuck? Did you get off to it too? —Aah~!”

Noel steadied her as she dropped a few more inches onto him, one hand on his hard abdomen, the other palming at her breasts.
She pinched and pulled at one of her nipples, being rough where she needed to be as she sank him inch by inch deeper into her core.

“Oh fuck… this is what I needed.”
She grinned at Noel, and then took a deep breath before letting herself down to sit on his cock entirely with a pleasured whine.

Noel let out a surprised snarl, his control around her mind slipping a little. Allie winced, but when he reached for her to pull her up, she shook her head. “I-I’m good, it's just a lot— Oh god… I’ve never been this full before~“

The claws of Noel’s left hand stroked up and down her spine and she shivered, gyrating her hips slowly to get used to the sensation within her. It was a little sore, very tight, but for some reason she loved it.
“Okay,” she said after a little while, breathing easing. “I think I’m good.”
She made to lift her hips up again, but her legs buckled and she groaned. “Sh-Shit!”

Are you alright??
Noel asked quickly, but Allie just laughed. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk for a while after this… little help?”

Allie…
Noel shook his head.
You don’t have to finish me if your body has had enough.

Allie gyrated her hips again, lips parted. “Sh-Shut up… I want this as mmh~ much as you do.”
He made to sigh, but the motion of her grinding against him turned the sound into another low growl. His hands curled around her hips and as he lifted her half off his dick she tossed her head back and fixed him with a heated, hungry look.

Shit. She’d never looked at him like that before. He watched her fingers as she ran a hand down to her pussy lips, playing with them, spreading them wide so he could see himself disappearing into her as he brought her back down.

You’re playing a dangerous game human. He warned, feeling his own lust bubbling to the surface again.
She felt so exquisite wrapped around him, he couldn’t help himself. Allie yelped in pleasure as his hips rose up to meet hers as he pulled her down onto his cock. She saw stars behind her eyes as he laid down a rhythm that was hard, almost punishing, but so delicious.
He was still being careful not to break her, but he wasn’t treating her like a doll, either, and Allie realized in a rush that she liked it rough.

“H-Harder~” she moaned again, drool slipping down her lips, shamelessly fondling her own breasts in front of him as he fucked up into her.

Allie…
Noel shook his head, panting like the beast he was. You’re really testing my restraint, but  on your own head be it!~

He suddenly rolled, and Allie was pulled off his cock with a yelp and a pop as she was pressed into the forest floor. Noel wrapped an arm around her middle, hoisted her to her hands and knees and reentered her to the hilt, without any warning from behind.

“OHHHH FFFFFUCK!!!!”
Allie gasped out as all the breath in her lungs was pushed out of her by the force of him. She could feel him mashed up against the entrance to her womb, and it certainly hurt, but… at the same time? She needed more. She needed all of him.

“Fuck me Noel,” she growled at him, lost in the pleasure and the heat and the lust of their coupling. “And don’t you dare hold back.”

Noel snarled, fangs bared, then grabbed her arms in his hands and pulled them behind her back, arching her body. Allie let out a sweet cry of pain and pleasure mixed together as the cock inside of her mashed into her sweet spot at a new angle.
She could feel her belly bulging with each hard thrust, her vision swimming. His balls slapped her ass and she could do nothing but endure it as the pleasure mounted higher and higher. How many times had he made her cum already? She’d lost count. Her thoughts were scattered and Noel wasn’t making words any more, only primal, beastial sounds.
Something had taken over the both of them, something ancient and feral, and she wanted him to explode inside her, to coat her walls in his cum and claim her as his.

Animals, they were just animals.

Noel’s shaft thickened inside of her and she shuddered, her breasts swaying hard as he pounded into her.
“I-I’m going to cum again!” she cried out, and his only response was a snarl. He angled his hips to hit her g spot and her cervix at the same time, and the pleasure was overwhelming.
Her body tensed and her vision whited out as it crashed down around her, rolling through her body like a tsunami.

Noel said something she couldn’t quite catch, and then he repeated himself.

Forgive me Allie, but you wanted this!

And then he thrust in as deep as he could go without tearing her open, his knot swelling within her as jet after jet of his hot, creamy seed was shot into her, filling her to the brim and then some. The knot sealed them together and Allie’s mind went dark.

Allie… Allie!
She woke to her name being called in a familiar voice, and Noel’s warm hand on her face.
“Hhnn…”

Allie, thank goodness. 
He sounded concerned and relieved. How do you feel? I think I went too far… Are you hurt?

Something warm and wet trailed across her cheek. His tongue. She slowly came to, eyes fluttering open.
Noel was holding her against his chest, laying on his back. She winced, feeling a slight tug on her insides. Oh… they were still locked together, but there was only a slight ache inside of her. “...Noel? What ...happened?”

He huffed and then stroked his hands through her long damp hair.

I went too far, and I’m sorry. I knotted you and you passed out... Are you in much pain?

She took a moment to study the sensations in her. She was full, so very full. Of his cock, and his cum, hot and heavy in her belly. It had distended her skin slightly.
“Holy shit… I look pregnant!”

He winced. I am very sorry for losing control like that—

“You came a lot.”
She gently pressed on her abdomen, feeling the knot within her as hard as it had been. Her thighs were wet, but none of his seed had escaped the plug.

I… yes. I did. I should have expelled it elsewhere, but I couldn’t help myself…

Allie groaned and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Noel, shhhh. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She took a moment to wet her dry lips and formulate her thoughts. “That… was probably the best sex I’ve ever had. Including what I can’t remember.”

Noel’s worried expression melted away and then he laughed.

Well, you weren’t a virgin, that was for sure— You did so well.

“Me? What about you? You were so worried you’d kill me!”
He made a face.
That is still a possibility. I will have to keep you close in case something is wrong that neither of us can see.

Allie nuzzled against his chest, his shirt somehow… not there any more. His tie was still around his throat, albeit loose and damp with sweat and she wrapped her fist around it, giving it a tug. “If I wasn’t stuck to your dick right now, I’d kiss you again.”

Noel smiles, his sharp teeth on display.

You’d be surprised how often that happens with deer.

“AGAIN WITH THE DEER!!”
She stared at him incredulously. “Did you really fuck deer before I came into the picture?”

Noel grimaced.
I will neither confirm, nor deny—

“You’ve already confirmed it! Like twice!”

She started laughing, then cried out. “Oh fuck… that’s really sore…”
Noel grumbled but continued to stroke her head.

Once the tie has ended, I will bring you to the hot spring, where you may soak your tired body and recuperate.

“What happened to my clothes?”

He tipped his head to the side, confused.

You weren’t wearing any when I found you…

Allie thought back and then made a face. “Oh yeah… hey, you wrecked my house!”
She frowned at him and he looked away, sheepish.

I was afraid for your safety. I will… help you rebuild it.

He sounded so guilty she relented. “Its okay, it's probably… just a pile of splinters now.”

Truly I am sorry, Allie.

She rolled her eyes. “Its fine, I’ll just have to find another place to live…”
Then she blinked and looked up at him. “Noel, what about your nest? Could I live there with you?”

His mouth dropped open a little, stunned. Allie waited for him to speak, then frowned when no words were forthcoming.
“I mean, its okay if you want your own space, I get it… I don’t know… what’s going to happen after this, if anything has y’know, changed—“

Noel rumbled her name and she looked up, embarrassed.
Allie. I can see your thoughts, remember? You’re terrible at shielding them.

“Sorry,” she said quietly.
His fingers slid under her chin and tilted her head up.

Why would you think nothing had changed, Allie? You’re my mate.

He watched her eyes widen with a satisfied feeling in his chest.

You are mine, he repeated slowly and carefully. My mate. My partner. My queen.

Allie was frozen, her heart thundering in her ears. Mate? He… but… “I thought I was your entertainment,” she managed to get out eventually, voice soft.

Noel’s expression shifted, becoming serious.

Do you really believe I still view you as just another human, Allie? I’d be offended if I didn’t know this revelation was ...overwhelming to you.
You are special to me, Allie. I want to keep you close always, make you happy, keep you safe, make sure the only name you ever scream is my own.
I love you.

It was suddenly hard for her to see. “I… Noel, really?”
She swallowed hard. He was serious, but what did she feel?
He was her protector, her friend. Now, her lover. He was always there for her, and she felt incomplete when he wasn’t around. She’d dreamed about him, cried over him, feared for him…
The tears welled up in her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks, and he brushed them away tenderly with his thumb.

Allie, are you alright? It's enough for me that you know how I feel about you. You need not reciprocate if you do not wish to.

She shook her head, then took his hand into hers and kissed his palm. “No! No, I… I just… I’ve never… Is this love?”

He wiped away her tears, and then, as he felt the knot loosening, he pulled her free and up to his face, pressing his forehead to hers. He caresses her jumbled, overstimulated thoughts and then purrs soothingly at her.

It is.

She started to cry, then laugh at the same time, and he closed the distance between them in a gentle kiss.

I love you Allie, he said again into her mind, and as her lips moved against his, she repeated it back to him a smile in her voice.

I love you too, Noel.

Chapter Text

The hot spring’s water was just as hot as Allie remembered it, and she hissed as Noel gently lowered her into it, all her muscles tensing and then relaxing at once. “Ohhh god… that’s so nice…”
She let her head fall back and her eyes close as Noel slid in beside her, his feet brushing the bottom of the clear blue pool. He reached out and drew her to his chest, and she sighed happily. Noel let out a purr of his own, sinking deeper into the water as it bubbled and steamed around them both.
Allie found her hand lightly tracing over the naked planes of his pale chest, and then she looked up at him. “Noel?”

He tipped his head down towards her and nuzzled his smooth face against hers.

Yes, my Queen?

Whatever Allie was going to say was lost as she blushed, blinking in surprise. “Wh..What did you just call me?”

She let out a laugh. “Queen?”

Noel chuckled in his throat and his hand slid up her back, tenderly, slowly.

Do you not like Queen? It is admittedly a little strange to apply to you, being a human.

He tipped his head slightly, considering it.

Queens are what the females of our—my race is called. It's also a term of endearment and power in your culture, is it not? Or was I wrong?

Allie shuddered at the feel of his hand ghosting up her spine, laying her head against his chest. “Mm… I’m pretty sure it is. It’ll just take a little getting used to, I think.” She closed her eyes, letting out a soft groan as his fingers pressed against the back of her shoulder blades.

He hummed in his throat as he thought, his other hand coming up to massage her back muscles absently.

I could choose another thing to call you, if you wish.

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat through his flesh. “Maybe. Lets see how I feel in a week.”

She let out a sigh, turning her eyes to the blue sky above. Noel looked down at her and dipped his head to press a kiss to her forehead. 

In the heat, she couldn’t feel the soreness between her legs, or the bruises on her thighs. Noel had bitten her in a few places too, deep enough to bleed, but not deep enough to scar, and she could feel the mineral infused water working to clean and flush out those wounds.
She’d expected any sex with Noel to be a rough and wild thing, and it had been. It had been gloriously primal. But remembering back, he’d been so cognizant of her own pleasure, and her own limits that it had been wonderful too.
They hadn’t just fucked. They’d made love, in their own way. 

And Allie couldn’t wait to do it again.

“Mmh,” she groaned quietly, her own hand pressing on her abdomen lightly. “Shit… I’m still so full of your cum.”
Not something she’d ever thought she’d say—to anyone.
Noel’s hand found hers beneath the water, and then he let out a click of his tongue.

My apologies, Allie. In my fervor to have you, I seem to have deposited a mating plug.

“A what now?” She startled, looking up at him with consternation. He huffed out a laugh.

Its function is simple. Keep the seed inside, so it can germinate and take root. The plug stops other males' seed from surviving, if one were to mate with you after I.

His hand swirled against her stomach. Purely an evolutionary feature.

Allie frowned. “Seed? Germinate? Are you saying Slenderkin grow like plants, Noel?”

No, Allie. I’m not. I’m simply explaining with the words that I know.
Noel’s reply was patient, but tinged with amusement. They need vessels to carry them, as human young do.

She looked up at him again. “Do Slenderkin males breed with humans to carry their race forward, if the females—the queens are so rare?”

He hesitated, then inclined his head.
Yes. But a proper impregnation is rare, and dangerous for the women involved. It's not attempted often, as the result usually ends in failure.

Allie’s heart kicked up a notch. “How often does impregnation happen?”
She was treading carefully, choosing her words like she was picking meat from sharp bones. Noel picked up on her apprehension immediately.

Rare enough that I’m not worried for you, my darling. There have only been a hands-ful of Slenderkin children born in the last three centuries, Allie. You are safe.
She bit her lip. “How do you know?”

I would know the minute your body took with my seed. Your scent, he explained. It would change within the hour. That hasn’t happened yet. 

“But it could? At any time?” She chewed her lip, anxiously.
He nuzzled against her face again, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
You are safe, he whispered again. Slenderkin seed is… unstable. It doesn’t stay potent for long. Trust me, Allie, that window of time has passed.

“But the mating plug?” She insisted, and he brushed his cheek against hers, soothingly.

Harmless. Here, he said, sliding his fingers down between her thighs.
I will remove it so you may cleanse yourself of me.

Allie opened her mouth again, still unsure, and Noel kissed her.

Trust me, he said into her mind, voice full of sincerity. You are safe .

She shivered and then exhaled a breath into his lips.
I trust you. 

They kissed sweetly for a moment or two and then Noel’s fingers glided over her folds, and gently brushed against her clit and entrance before he slid one inside her. Noel swallowed the low moan she gave him, his tongue gently caressing her own, as he worked to pull the mucus plug from her insides. The moment he did, she inhaled, feeling a sensation not unlike relieving herself as his cum started to seep from her, clouding into the water before dissipating into nothing.

How’s that feel? He asked her, his mouth having moved onto the soft skin beneath her jaw.
Allie just groaned again. “Better,” she breathed.
His fingers withdrew, instead massaging her abdomen lightly, making sure all of his semen had drained from her body.

“Noel?” She asked quietly, eyes closed again as she langoured in his arms, as weightless as the water. “You never answered my question…”

Which?
He paused his quest to scent mark her neck and looked at her.

“About me, living with you? Can I?”

A breath of warm air grazed her damp throat and she shivered with pleasure. But she was still very tired from the pounding he’d given her earlier, so she forced herself to think less obscene thoughts.
He smiled against her skin.
Absolutely. My home… is now your home. And will be your home until you tire of it, or me.

She was about to say she didn’t think that would ever happen, but he lifted one of her hands in his, examining her fingers, and it distracted her. The pads of her fingers were pruning up and he ran a thumb over them.

I think you’ve soaked enough, now. Would you like to get out?

She laughed gently. He was so odd, but it was also so… endearing.
“Yes please.”

Noel gently set her aside as he stood, water running off his skin in rivulets, falling back into the pool like rain.
She blushed, seeing his flaccid member sway between his legs as he set one foot onto the edge and pulled himself out. She had to look away.

Stay here, Noel said into her mind. I will fetch you clothes and a towel.
And then he was gone. Allie leaned her head back as the clouds that shrouded the tall mountain plateau gave way, revealing the sun and a gorgeous vista of the park spread out below. She pulled herself from the hot spring, got up and walked over to a large standing rock to get a better look, dripping water onto the worn stone at her feet.
Below her, a dizzying distance down, a flock of canadian geese flew by honking occasionally. Allie shivered in the brisk breeze, but it was worth it. How had Noel found this place? It wasn’t even at the top of the mountain, no, that reach was high above still, wreathed in clouds.

She took a deep breath of the intoxicatingly clear air and then felt Noel reappear behind her. His mind enveloped hers, and she heard his shoes on the stone behind her.

I hope you are not thinking of jumping.
His arm encircled around her waist as he stood behind her, hand on her belly, keeping her secure.

She smiled and looked up at him. “Just enjoying the view.”
Noel’s blank face harboured no expression, but then he tipped his head in a nod and held out his other hand to her. In it was a folded towel and an outfit she’d never seen before.
Allie took the clothes and towel, stepping back from the edge, already mostly dry from the bracing breeze.
“Did you steal these?” She asked, motioning to the clothes.

Maybe, was his reply. She scowled, but then dried her hair before it froze and dressed quickly.
For once the clothing was a little too big. She rolled up the pant legs and cinched the belt tighter around her slim waist. “Well, I suppose I can find better use for them then their original owner.”

Noel laughed, then a tendril slid from behind him and tossed a fabric backpack into her arms. She caught it, surprised. “What’s this for?”

He turned his head to look over the forested park far below to the lake glittering in the late afternoon sun.

You have personal items in that cabin. Use this to transport them.

She looked down at the bag, then back at him. “Oh, thanks. I will.”

Shall we go, my Queen?
Noel smoothly offered her one of his hands and she laughed under her breath embarrassedly, and took it.

Something funny? He inquired, pulling her to his chest.
She blushed again, looking up at him. “Well, uh…”
He was grinning at her and she realized he enjoyed flustering her. She shut her mouth.

Lets just go already, she shot mentally his way and he laughed at the prickly tone her thoughts had acquired, and then in a breath, they were gone.

Allie swore when she saw what had been done to her cabin. It was partially caved in, the kitchen was demolished and great rending splinters of wood were all that were left of the door and the wall.

Noel let her go and she ran forwards. “My god! Look at this mess!”
She threw up her arms, then looked back over her shoulder at the monster responsible, who had the presence of mind to look ashamed.
“It's okay,” she assured him. “You thought I was hurt, and I did too.”

She knocked down a spike of wood in the way and then entered the pile of kindling her house had become.

Noel hesitated, and she looked back again. “You don’t have to be here and feel guilty, I got this. I’ll call for you when I’m done.”
She gave him a little smile.
He returned it, almost shyly, then straightened.

I will prepare the nest for your arrival.
She raised an eyebrow at the formality that had crept into his voice, but then he was gone again.

Allie spent fifteen minutes shoving and kicking wood spears and shards out of her way, packing the things she wanted to bring with her. Her axe she left where it lay, but her bone knife, her snares, a length of rope she made herself and her rabbitskin pillow stuffed with fur, all of it went into the bag.
She’d been in the process of putting her cool rock collection into it too, when one slipped from her grip and rolled under the bed.
With a small groan, she got down on her belly and reached into the space, fingers grasping the rock tighter.

But while she was down there, she saw something else. Something she’d forgotten about.
She stretched as far as she could reach to snag it, drag it closer. It was the strange device she’d found on the hiker, the one that seemed to be broken.

A human device, Noel’s voice came back to her. I did not know its function. Maybe Noel would know what it was, since she hadn’t a clue. She stuffed it into the backpack, then got back to her feet, added a few clothing articles, her boots and coat and picked her way back to the hole.

Noel, I’m done.
She projected her thoughts over the vast expanse between them, but he responded quickly.

Good timing, Allie. I just finished prepping my nest for two.
She closed the backpack, slinging it over her shoulder, and then Noel appeared silently outside the structure, looking at her keenly.

Did you gather all your possessions?

She nodded, hoisting the bag higher. “My tools, a few clothes—some odds and ends,” she replied, stepping towards him. “Everything else is either too big to move, or I don’t want to bring with me.”

He nodded, pulling her into his arms and she nuzzled against him, wrapping her arms around his body too.
He hugged her for several minutes before his hand brushed a curl of her long hair from her face.

Ready?

She nodded, and his grip tightened on her as he teleported, only loosening when they were outside his nest. 

Allie smartly kept her eyes shut this time, to avoid disorientation and when the sounds of the forest returned to her ears, she smiled.
The white building stood, the vines and brush creeping up its sides. She could see green among the brown now. Spring was well and truly here.

I survived winter, she thought, and when she turned back to Noel, her lips pulled up into a grin. He tipped his head to one side at her as he felt her rush of triumph through their bond, and sent a querying tendril into her mind to ask why.

“I survived,” she exclaimed in a rush, eyes sparkling. He found himself unable to look anywhere else but at her radiant expression as she grabbed his hand and held it in hers. “I never imagined I’d make it past winter.” Her voice had acquired a hushed kind of awe. “I always thought… thought that if the animals didn’t kill me, something would, you would!” 

Noel could taste something unpleasant in the back of his throat as he recalled how he’d treated her when they’d first met. But she wasn’t done talking. “But now I’m here, and I’m with you… and things are growing again, and…”

Tears came to her eyes suddenly and Noel, bewildered by her sudden mercurial mood, just held her close as she flung herself at him, crying and laughing at the same time. He looked through her memories, from the exact moment she’d woken up on the other side of the river next to his kill, and every day beyond that, flashes of colour and light and sound. He absorbed it all, and it made something tighten in his chest when he realized just how close he’d been to losing her at times. 

Never, he told himself. Never again.

Allie, he intoned with some emotion he was struggling to describe filling his chest and throat, I will make sure you survive this new winter, and the next, and all the ones that come after that. will take care of you, and I will be by your side for all of your life, whether you want me there or not. This I vow.

He said it with such conviction that she lifted her head up at him, the look in her teary eyes soft. “Noel, get down here.”
He crouched to her level and she took his face in both of her hands. It was smooth, featureless except for the severe furrow in his brows and the sharp line of his mouth. She pressed her forehead to his, standing on her tiptoes to do it. And then she kissed him.

I don’t have words for this. I have no prior experience with any of this, she told him mind to mind. I thought I would miss the world, what little I knew of it. But… with you, I… I don’t need anything else. Just you. Just this park. Just us. Now take me inside our home, my King.

Noel let out an appreciative sound at the title, and then his arms curled around her and he lifted her up against his chest. He was smiling too.

As you wish, my Queen.

He took a single step, and then a loud, echoing crack shocked the birds from the trees, and his head snapped to one side, marking where they flew from, deeper in the valley of the park.

Allie clung to his suit, eyes wide. “Wh-What was that?!”

Noel let out a loud growl, his lips curling back from his dark gums as he bared his fangs, the word a curse on his tongue.
Humans.

Allie struggled to recall what that meant, trying to place the sound to her disjointed memories. “That was a gun,” she breathed. “How far away?”

He parted his lips and sniffed the air, tongue slipping from his mouth partially to better taste the scents on the wind.
Far enough, was his curt answer.

He carried Allie into the nest without further comment, holding her protectively to his chest as he ducked under the lintel to get inside, and shut the door closed behind him. He set her down on the smooth stone pathway, then spent a long moment just looking at her, hesitation evident in every muscle.

Allie knew what was coming. “I’ll be okay,” she assured her mate. She lifted a hand and drew it down his cheek. “Go see who’s intruded into our territory.”
Noel’s lips curved into a small smile, not missing the way she had accentuated that one word, and then he vanished from sight.

The sudden silence pressed in on her on all sides and she shuddered, hugging herself as she realized that Noel was using his powers to hush the forest at his coming. She remembered how she’d felt when it first happened to her and could only imagine what that unlucky person was thinking and feeling at that moment, hearing everything quiet unnaturally. To realize that they were being hunted by something powerful, terrifying and impossible. 

To distract herself from thinking about the carnage to come, she headed down the path. Noel had said he’d changed things in the nest, and she wanted to see. 

Quite a few things were different, it turned out. The bed of clothing and other odds and ends had been upgraded with softer materials. Blankets and pillows now lined the inside and it had nearly doubled in size. Allie ran her hand along it, then picked up a lone stuffed bear that had been placed almost ornamentally within. Its fur was satin soft, and she knew he’d snatched it from a child’s room somewhere to give to her. Gently, she set it back in its place and moved on. The other piles of things that had dotted the crossroads of the paths had been replaced too, though with less aesthetic awareness. What had once been collections of things Noel had just taken home on a whim had been replaced by things that would most likely see use. There was a table, and several mismatched chairs set around it, as well as cutlery and plates, whole stacks of them just sitting there, waiting to be used. Further along the path, two bookshelves filled with brightly coloured spines of books, and several free-standing piles surrounding a red leather armchair that had clearly seen better days. Her chest warmed. He’d put this there for her. He’d put all of it there for her. 

Along with the dining room, the book nook and the nest, she found at least three dressers full of clothing in roughly her size. She couldn’t help but laugh when she imagined the owners of those dressers coming home to find their houses broken into, and the only thing missing turning out to be half their clothes. Noel never intended it to be funny, she was certain he meant it all as a practical gift for his mate, but it was inadvertently hilarious. Allie fingered a shirt and smiled at the mental image of him carrying them and setting them up just so, in a place she’d know to look. What a thoughtful partner.

Maybe being with Noel, as strange and unusual a relationship it was… Maybe it really would be everything she needed.

She bit her lip a little and closed the drawer, thinking back to the sound of the gun. Who had set it off? Why?
Noel was probably laying waste to whoever it was, for no other reason then they were in his territory and he had the right to do what he wanted, whether they understood that or not.
She briefly thought about the kind of damage a gun could do to him, before recalling that he had an extremely fast healing ability. If he got injured, he’d be fine, she told herself, then heading back through the verdant plants and trees, she took the path to get to the pond.
Allie sat down at the edge of it, and trailed her fingers into the cool water. Like before, the red, gold and black fish came to investigate. What kind of fish were they? Did Noel know? One brushed its slippery side against her hand before swimming away and she admired it. Its fellows lost interest in her when it became apparent she wasn’t feeding them, but as she wiggled her fingers, they came right back, docile and mouthing at her hand. She could count at least ten, of varying colours and sizes.
“Did he ever have the idea to name you guys?” She asked them, but they didn’t answer her. Curious, she reached out a mental hand to them, to see if she could explore their thoughts, but like their bodies, their minds were slippery and simple, and she couldn’t glean anything useful from them. 

After she amused herself with the fish for several more minutes, she got back to her feet. “I’ll ask Noel when he gets back, and we’ll name you proper,” she promised the fish swimming placidly in the pond. 

The building was quiet, except for the gentle burbling of the pond and as she walked through the plants and non-native trees she was overcome with a calm that suffused her entire self. 

She wandered back towards the bookshelves, pulling titles from them at random and flipping through their pages. One caught her eye, it had coloured illustrations set throughout it and she liked the look of the font. Allie replaced the other books back on the shelf and then sat down in the chair, making herself comfortable before opening the book to the beginning and starting to read. 

It was a book about a little orange cat with yellow eyes that solved mysteries. It was clearly a childrens book, but it engrossed her all the same. She was so into it that the sound of another gunshot startled her and made her gasp. No, it wasn’t the sound, which had been muffled beyond the walls of the nest, amplified only in her mind, it had been the pain that had lanced across the bond with Noel at the same time.
The book fell from her fingers. “Noel!!”
She leapt up and ran forwards, before checking herself. She didn’t know where in the park the fight was occurring. The side of her chest throbbed, phantom pain from her mate bleeding through the connection.
“He’ll be okay,” she told herself, then jumped as another two shots rang out. No more pain, they must have missed him.
She tried pressing on his mind, but his walls were up, dark and terrible things that lashed back at her with knife sharp tendrils. She retreated with a final remark. You better come home soon. You promised to be by my side always.

Allie paced back and forth along the paths for what felt like hours, but then all of a sudden, Noel was there, in her awareness, coming closer. His presence wrapped around her and she all but ran to the door to let him in, even though he could have teleported inside.
“Noel!”

He prowled through the treeline on all fours, favouring his right arm more then his left. Allie’s heart thudded in her chest at the sight and even though she wasn’t wearing shoes, she ran to him across the cold and wet ground. His suit was wet, the normal white fabric of his collar and lapels soaked with blood. It was all over his face, his sleeves, his hands, his throat. When she reached him, he slowed his steps and dipped his head down towards her. She practically got onto her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, ignoring the blood.
She ran her hands down the planes of his jaw and he let out a low rumble of a purr, grateful for the attention. She pulled back when he winced, a little red smeared over her freckled cheek. 

“You’re hurt…What happened?”

His voice was tinged with pain, but there was something else in it, something new. It was bitter, and she got the feeling that he was struggling to understand it as much as she was.

I let my guard down. The human had a gun.

“They shot you,” she murmured quietly, and he acknowledged it with a nod.
Allie motioned for him to sit down, and then took his arm in her hand, turning it and lifting it carefully until she found the wound. It was just below his armpit, angled down towards the rest of his internal organs. His suit was stuck to it in places, and he hissed as she dipped her fingers in his blood, gauging the size of the hole. It was… large enough to worry her.
“You can heal this, right?”
Noel growled something noncommittal and she stared him in the face. “Noel, answer me. You can heal this, right?”

He hesitated and she swallowed hard, throat dry as he shook his head.

Not with pieces of the bullet still inside me. It wasn’t a normal gun. It was big… It spit fire.

“I can see that… the hole is huge.”
She placed her hand over it to try and stem the gush of blood, and he snarled in pain. “I’m sorry! We need to staunch this and fast. Give me your other hand.”
His own hand would be enough to cover the hole in him. His fingers replaced hers, and then she got up. “Stay here. I’m going to get my knife.”

Noel grimaced.
Going to finish the job, Allie?

She frowned, shaking her head. “Going to fish those bullet shards out of your body.”

He shuddered and watched her run back across the grass and disappear into their home. He couldn’t tell her the real reason he was upset. He’d been shot before, never with that kind of shotgun, but still. Even the shrapnel wasn’t deep enough to seriously injure him. No… there was something else, and he dreaded the look on her face when he finally told her what had happened out there.

So I won’t, he decided.

Allie reemerged, dragging an armful of cloth, twine and a determined look on her face strong enough to bend steel. He licked his lips as she set up beside him.

Allie, you don’t have to do this…
In fact, he wasn’t looking forward to her trying at all.
She just looked up at him with that same determined grey stare. “Lay down. On your side. Yes, now,” she added when he failed to move. Noel groaned in pain but did as she asked. She went right to work, pulling his hand away and replacing it with the wad of cloth. He hissed again, snapping his jaws in agitation, but she was relentless.
Once most of the blood flowing out of him had slowed she unsheathed her knife and using it and her fingers, began to carefully feel around the inside of the gunshot wound.
Noel ground his teeth together, a sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but she continued, and after several minutes, she withdrew a misshapen chunk of metal from within him. The bullet.
Noel shuddered, and more blood started to leak out so she pressed the cloth over his skin again. Twice more she repeated the process, pulling a total of five shards of shrapnel from his body. The moment the last one was out, he let out a sigh and moved to get up. “Stay!” She commanded with such ferocity that he froze.
“We’re not done yet.”

We’re not? He asked helplessly.

“I’ve got to stitch you up still.” She held up a long curving fishbone, sharpened at the tip.

Noel looked at her.

That’s not necessary, Allie—
She was already tying the knot on the twine with her teeth. “Noel, you’re my mate. You’ve saved me countless  times before. Let me help you now.”

He relented, letting his head thump back to the ground.
The bone entered the already inflamed flesh and he grit his teeth, but to her credit, Allie worked fast, sewing the hole shut bit by bit. He endured it without another sound, and once she leaned in to bite the twine off and tie it he let out a shudder.

Allie wiped her hands on some cleaner cloth. “All done. You did well.” There was a teasing edge to her words, but her expression was relieved.

Noel growled, grumpy.

Don’t treat me like a child, Allie. 

Carefully, he moved to sit up. 
She sat back, watching how he shifted his body to gingerly stretch and twist to view her handiwork.
He scowled at the hole and then, like an irritated animal, opened his mouth to lick the puckered line of stitches. 

Allie grabbed his head. “Hey! Leave it alone or it’ll never heal,” she chided him. He scowled harder, but then pressed his face into her shoulder, huffing through his mouth as he took in her scent.

It's wet and cold out here. I want to go inside. 

Allie gently kissed his bloodied cheek and tasted iron. “Lets go inside then.”

He kept her close as he headed for the front door, and Allie stayed by him until he’d made his way inside. She shut the outside door behind him and the heat of the nest closed in. 

“You need to lie down,” she told him, guiding him to the bed. He hesitated, looking at his bloodied suit. 

Help me undress. 

He was able to shed his outer jacket and tie without difficulty. But stretching so much hurt and so he sat in the nest while Allie gently unbuttoned his reddened dress shirt from his chest and carefully peeled it down his arms. 

She bundled it up and tossed it in the corner before climbing into the soft crafted bowl of fabrics and fur to join him. 

With a hiss, Noel laid down on his back, and Allie snuggled into his good side, laying her head on his chest, quiet.
After a moment, he turned his head to her, gently nudging her with his jaw. 

What is it?

She smiled and looked up at him. “Oh, nothing… I was just wondering when you were going to tell me what happened out there.”

She propped her head up on her elbow and studied his face. Even without the usual visual tells a normal person would give off, she could tell he was hiding something from her.

Are you sure you want to hear? It may give you nightmares.

Allie considered that for a few moments, then put her head back down. “Is the person dead now?”
He nodded. 

“Did you eat them?”

Noel’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

Partially. 

She gently drew patterns over his pale chest. “Okay, that’s all I wanted to know.” 
Still, she could tell that something was bothering him, but she’d leave it up to him to tell her what when he was ready. 

“You should sleep, Noel.”

Noel didn’t hear her, his mind back in the glade by the stream, where he’d faced off with not one, but two human males. One had been armed, and the other… 

He came back to the present when Allie tapped him. “Hey, are you listening to me? You need rest. You’ve probably lost a lot of blood.”

I will rest, he replied, then settled deeper into the pillowy softness of the nest. If you sing to me. 

Allie blinked and raised her head. “Hwhaat? I already told you, I can’t sing!”

Liar.

Noel’s voice was playful.

I’ve heard you before. Singing to that deer pet you had. Sing to me, it will speed up my healing. 

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not serious, are you? Oh my god you are!” 
After a sigh, she moved to sit up, but his arm curled around her and drew her back down. 

Sing, he insisted. 

“I don’t know what kind of song you want, most of my songs are entirely made up, there’s only one or two I remember.”

Sing me one of those and I will sleep.

Allie stared at Noel incredulously, her cheeks pink, but then she sighed again. “Okay...fine. I’ll sing to you.”

She thought about it for a moment, then cleared her throat. 

“Okay, here goes. You are… my sunshine, my only sunshine—”

Noel let her voice wash over her in warm and comfortable waves, just like the light she sang about. His chest rose, taking a deep breath, and then fell as he exhaled the air out slowly. Even though he was safe, and the threat had been destroyed, he still felt on edge. There was a face in his mind, and it wasn’t of his adorable Queen with her sweet melodious lullaby, it was the face of a male human youth barely out of childhood, pain and terror a rictus on his features. Blood was soaking into his scalp from where he’d been flung against a tree, but his shaking fingers still clung onto the source of Noel’s distress. Something so small and fragile it should have been inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. He’d seen the human with the gun as the immediate threat. To his home, to himself, to his mate… He hadn’t even noticed the other man, or the camera in his hands, watching a monster tear a human in two with its mechanical eye. 

And then that human had taken up the gun, and injured him, and he had been forced to give up the chase…

“...You make me happy, when skies are grey…”

That human survived and maanaaged to get away. No human had ever escaped him, injured or otherwise, and it filled him with a mix of emotions. His pride was hurt, certainly, but he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that his failure was going to bring trouble. Not just for him, but for Allie as well. 

“You’ll never know, dear how much I love you…”

She was still singing, and so Noel forced himself to tune back in, banishing the image of the man and his camera from his thoughts. He’d dealt with an infestation of humans before. He’d do it again. His lips curve into a smile for her benefit, his sunshine. 

“So please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Allie finished the song and Noel chuckled. 

Like a songbird, Allie. Your voice is as beautiful as the rest of you.

Allie blushed hard and then huffed. “If you weren’t injured right now I’d hit you for making me do that.”

Noel’s fingers carded through her long hair, and she nuzzled against his warmth as he yawned. “Now sleep,” she commanded, letting out a yawn of her own. 

Yes, my Queen.

Noel purred and then, together, they slept.

Chapter Text

In a modest one-bath rental apartment on the lower edge of the downtown area, a man was patiently awaiting a phone call. He’d moved in if you could call it that only a few hours earlier, and the apartment was still empty of his personal belongings. 

Only a worn brown suitcase sat on the edge of the bed as he paced back and forth in the kitchen, looking at his cellphone, plugged into the wall and charging on the speckled marble counter in front of him. The apartment was nice, for its size and its amenities, but the man didn’t expect to be there long. He’d had to take a ferry from the mainland that lasted three hours to get to the island he was now on, and he was thoroughly unimpressed by the trip.

Who’d want to live on an island in these changing times? He thought to himself, then turned to his phone as it buzzed. He didn’t need to read the number to know who was calling.

 This phone only had one purpose after all.

He swiped the screen and lifted it to his ear. “This is Sullivan. Are you going to explain why I’m here or am I going to have to wait another four hours?”

There was a laugh on the other end of the line, a laugh he knew well, coming from a man he knew even better. “Yeah, sorry about that. I finally got the green light to call you and inform you of the situation. Do you have your laptop set up in whatever hole they put you?”

Sullivan scowled, feeling the odd need to defend himself and his lodgings. “No, and it’s not a hole. It’s comfortable, for one thing... and it's furnished.”
He didn’t have to see the other male to know he was rolling his eyes. “Lucky you,” the voice replied sardonically. “Set up your laptop, call me when it's done.”
And before Sullivan could respond, the line went dead. He gave it a stern look and then sighed, rubbing two fingers over his brow.
“Goddamn it, Ghost.”

His laptop took a concerningly long time to boot up and then connect to the wifi that was provided in the apartment. The bandwidth was shit, the laptop internals chugged like they were struggling to keep up, but as long as he could read his damn emails, Sullivan didn’t care. It was a faithful piece of hardware for its age, and for all its flaws he loved the thing.

When he’d gotten a coffee and sat himself on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen, he put his phone on speaker and pressed redial.

He tapped his clean fingernails against the countertop as he waited, listening to the phone ring.

An automated voice came on, telling him that he was on hold.

Sullivan swore under his breath. It had been a very tiring and mysterious day. He’d been in the lab when they’d cornered him, handed him a stack of cash and an address, and told him to get on a plane to Vancouver, BC. And that was it. Four hours later, he was in Victoria, and still had no inkling as to why.

“Come on,” he grumbled, tapping faster. Then, the same man picked up from before. “This is Fart Smelton, how may I help you?”

“What the actual fuck is that name?” “What? You don’t like it?”
“It's terrible. Did you just improvise that on the fly?”

Ghost laughed. “Actually I did.”

“Do me a favour and never become a comedian.”

Ghost tsk’d. “That hurts, Sully. Honestly, ow~”

Sullivan rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “One, don’t call me Sully. Two, you promised me answers, so...? What am I doing on an island?? You know I hate the ocean.”

Ghost’s voice still held mirth. “Well, I can’t tell you why they stuck you in Victoria, but I can tell you that your assignment as it were, is on the mainland.”

Another sigh. “Great, thanks. Wonderful. What do I have to do?”
There was the tapping of keys on the other end and then a soft ping sounded from Sullivan’s computer. 

An email.

“What’s this?”

He moused over it. No subject line, no cc, simply three attachments.

Ghost chuckled again. “Its an email, old man.”

“I’m younger than you are!” He retorted with a scowl. 

“Your lack of knowledge in the world of technology these days speaks to a geriatric mind.”

“Ghost?” Sullivan snapped, losing patience with his fellow agent’s antics. “Shut up.”

With a click, he opened the first attachment.

 A black and white video without audio started playing, grainy and clearly low quality. It showed what appeared to be a rural gas station exterior. The footage was coming from a security camera and had the time and date stamps at the bottom left corner.

Sullivan put his chin in his hand and checked its length. “Jesus,” he exclaimed with dismay. “This video is 3 hours long! Don’t tell me I have to watch it all…”

“Skip to 1:34:38,” Ghost replied, his voice getting serious. “That’s when it begins.”

“Are you messing with me? Am I going to see a raccoon or something?”

Ghost was silent, so Sullivan, preparing to have his time wasted, scrubbed the cursor to the time stamp.

As expected, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Then within seconds, movement. Lights flickered, died. A man left the store, headed back to an off screen vehicle. Sullivan opened his mouth to ask Ghost what he was supposed to be looking for, when something dark and large passed beneath the camera, turning the picture to static momentarily. When the visuals cleared, there it was, as plain as day, stalking after the oblivious man.

Sullivan prepared himself to witness a slaughter, but even when the man was inevitably grabbed, the monster let him go in favour of the bags he’d been carrying. It picked through them, perfectly illuminated in the headlights.

The truck left, plunging the scene into a deeper shadow than before, and then the rest of the lights and the camera fuzzed out into static and went black.

He wordlessly scrubbed forwards, but the rest of the footage was just empty and dark, either corrupted or fried.

He must have exhaled because Ghost’s voice came back. “Pretty big raccoon, huh?”

His tone was grim.

Sullivan placed his hands on the cool surface of the counter beneath his palms, which were sweaty. “That's— What’s it doing out of its territory?”

“Dunno, but you really should watch the other video.”

“There’s another one?”
He sounded faint. This was... this was huge. The Pale King outside of its accursed forest spelled trouble for everyone involved. Especially the people within a hundred thousand miles of it. 

“There’s another video. Prepare yourself, its…a lot more graphic.”

“You’re not saying someone got footage of that thing in the daylight, are you?”

Ghost said nothing, so Sullivan quickly downloaded the video. It wasn’t high quality but considering the subject matter, it didn’t matter. Two young men judging by their voices, out on some sort of hunt. 

Sullivan swallowed. He already knew how the video would end.

The audio started crackling but neither of them noticed as the other man posed with a shotgun and a big grin. They talked about nothing important for several minutes and the sound of their footsteps in the brush and the forest ambience was all that there was to hear. 

“So where is it?” The cameraman asked after a while, training the lens on the dense trees, and the man with the gun muttered something unintelligible, before stopping a few feet up ahead and shrugging. Birds took flight behind him and he whirled and fired a shot at nothing that echoed through the forest. 

The cameraman was shaken. “You alright, man? There’s nothing there, man,” he laughed and the hunter laughed too. It was a tense sound. They continued walking, but something had changed. The forest had gone quiet, all the camera picked up was the wind. “Let’s go back,” the cameraman said eventually. “There’s nothing out here.”

At that exact moment, there was a loud cracking, groaning sound that emanated from all around them. The camera panned quickly around the trees, which were swaying strangely. The man with the gun tightened his grip on his weapon and then looked to the camera. All of a sudden, chaos descended as a dark tendril whipped from the trees and slammed into him from behind, tossing him like a ragdoll to the ground. The cameraman screamed as something monstrous emerged from the forest, all that was visible a mass of tentacles and a pale, clawed hand. The video’s quality tanked, both men screaming as the monster smashed through the trees out into the open and roared, jaws opening like a black trap full of vicious fangs. 

Eight, no… Ten feet tall, Sullivan observed distantly. All they ever had were guesses when it came to those creatures, but there was enough information to create a profile for this particular one. He focused back on the video, his pulse thudding in his ears.

“Luke!!” The cameraman screamed, as the monster pounced on the hunter with the gun, knocking the weapon away and quite literally tearing him limb from limb. Blood sprayed the grass, and Luke’s screams ended in a horrible crunch as the monster decapitated him.

The colours distorted but there was a moment where the monster ripped into Luke’s belly and his intestines spooled out as it feasted.

Sullivan unconsciously covered his mouth with his hand, feeling queasy.

Oh god...

The cameraman moved, which drew the entity’s attention to him. The camera hit the ground at an odd angle and the screen fuzzed to static as the man was caught by one of the tentacles, and tripped up. He screamed in pure terror, like a frightened animal. His fingers clawed through the grass as he was dragged toward the predator by those prehensile tendrils, its snarling jaws still dripping in gore.

The man made a desperate lunge for the fallen shotgun, rolled onto his back and in the space of a heartbeat—he fired.

The audio descended into discordant screeching as the Pale King roared again, this time in pain and blew the speakers. It relinquished its hold on the man, who got up and ran, pausing only to snatch up the camera on the way. 

Then, his fast paced footsteps and the shaky visuals and an echoing, inhuman scream of rage was all that was left before the video ended abruptly.

Sullivan gets up, feeling weak. He wasn’t only in shock from the brutality of that man, Luke’s death, but from how… aberrant the entity itself had acted.

He needed water. His mouth was dry and he still felt like he was going to vomit.

You alright?” Ghost’s voice came from the speaker and Sullivan started. He’d forgotten the phone call was still going.

He took a moment to answer. “I’m fine, but that kid sure isn’t.”

After getting a glass of fresh water and taking time to drink it, he sat back down. “So… did the camera guy survive or was his corpse found with his things?”

Ghost cleared his throat. “He uh… he escaped, and then posted the video to his social media.”

Sullivan’s eyes closed slowly. “Oh god… What’s the damage?”

Ghost didn’t answer right away, and the sound of his staccato typing on his keyboard came through instead. “Major. The social media site took it down of course, for violation of its policies, but it had already been downloaded and shared multiple times. Dozens, possibly hundreds of times.”

“Shit,” Sullivan groaned, rubbing his face. “What’s the general consensus of the public about it?”

Ghost took another moment to search for the relevant data in the report on his side. “A massive amount of people are citing it as either very well done or very sloppy cgi. The victim’s family didn’t bother to comment, but 24 hours later, a missing person’s report was filed on him. Police wanted to detain the cameraman as a suspect, but we were able to slip in and question him first.”

“You mean there’s other agents covering this? So why the hell am I here?” He couldn’t help but be annoyed. 

The sound of shuffling paper came from the other end of the call. “You have a different purpose then media cleanup. You’re going to be operating a search and rescue.”

Sullivan almost choked on the sip of water he was taking. “Excuse me?”

“Observe the third attachment, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

After swallowing, he set the glass back down and turned back to his laptop. The third attachment was a photo— a print out of a missing person’s flyer. On it was a smiling young woman with bright eyes and freckles. Though it was black and white, he could tell that she was Caucasian and had very blonde hair. “What’s this? Another victim?”

“Sort of.” Ghost’s tone was serious. “This woman went missing from her family home almost a year ago. The police ruled out foul play, but recently a witness came forward who claimed the young woman was abducted by several armed men into a nondescript vehicle. The witness then claims they followed the vehicle out of city limits towards Jasper National Park. Eventually the suspected kidnappers caught on that they were being tailed and managed to lose the witness.”

“Wait…” Sullivan frowned, starting to connect the dots. “The two attacks, they didn’t happen around that park, did they?”

“That's exactly where they happened.”

A slight static hiss crackled in the phone’s speakers.

“Ghost, if that woman was taken to the park over a year ago, she’s long dead. You know that, right? Logically?”

“The people who pay us don’t think so, and we do what we’re told, Sullivan.”

“What?”

Ghost tsk’d. “Think, Sullivan, logically. The Pale King’s been seen in the park. A record 31 people went missing in Jasper National Park in this past year alone, and from the missing people reports from years prior we can infer that it’s been there for a while. Maybe even 3 or more years? Now in all that time, not once has it revealed itself to the public. We know it's not fond of attention, so what changed? Showing itself like that, not once, but twice and injured or not, it doesn’t let its prey escape. The boss thinks it's trying to keep something alive. They think it's taken a hostage.”

Sullivan mulled over his coworker’s words. “So they want me to go in there and rescue her?”

He sounded reasonably uncertain.

“Correct. They want you to work with the RCMP and bring her out alive if possible.”

“Why? I mean, I get she’s a human life and all human lives are precious, but she’s still a single civilian woman. Why is she so important?”

Ghost is quiet for a while before he speaks, choosing his words carefully. “There’s a small possibility the woman is still alive… because it wants to breed with her.”

Sullivan laughed. “That’s… wait you’re serious?”

He sobered up quickly. “We’ve been monitoring that particular slenderkin’s habits for years. Its never shown any desire to breed or even fuck. It only sees humans as food.”

“Maybe it was just waiting for the right vessel?”

“Out of all of them, the Pale King has been the least likely to take a mate! Where is this coming from?”

“It's only a possibility. One of many, which is why you need to get her out of there, just in case it’s the truth.”

“What human woman would ever—?”

“Sullivan.” Ghost’s tone was no longer brooking any argument. “It's a possible hostage situation. She might not have a choice.”

The mental image that statement conjures in his mind has him shuddering. “Got it. So how am I going to infiltrate the RCMP and convince them to go searching for a dead woman?”

Ghost laughed. “That’ll be up to you, but you’re going to have to do it fast.”

“Why?”

“The internet is buzzing over this, in niche and mainstream circles. We had B3G flag over four dozen posts detailing plans to go into the park and hunt the monster down, or get photos of it and more are cropping up even as we speak. Jasper National Park is going to be a real hotspot for big game hunters and clout chasers in a few weeks.”

Sullivan groaned. “They’ll all die…”

“Exactly, there’d be a massive loss of human life, and on the off chance they manage to bring the Pale King down…”

“The existence of supernatural beings would be revealed to the world and our organization would fall apart.”

“Exactly,” Ghost said again grimly. “There may even be a war over its death. Mass panic is likely. So figure out what you need to figure out and stop this from getting out of hand.”

Sullivan took a deep breath. “No pressure?”

Ghost laughed, but it was humorless. “No pressure.”

Outside the apartment, the birds sang, the sun shone and the world went on without interruption.

“Was that everything you had to tell me, Ghost?”

Ghost cleared his throat. “Good luck, Agent Sullivan. You’re going to need it.”

The line went dead. 

Chapter Text

The forest was the kind of quiet that only happened in the early hours of the morning.
The stars were still visible in the darkling sky, and the birds still sat in their nests, keeping themselves warm in the cool in-between before the sun rose and the moon set.
Down on the forest floor, the only movement that could be seen through the trunks was a large herd of deer, their brown pelts aiding them in camouflaging them in the shadows as they browsed the low hanging branches and bushes for foliage and berries.
The buck was attentive as he led the does and fawns into a glade full of clover and spring forage. The females immediately started grazing and the fawns, barely old enough to stand on their spindly legs, tottered after their mothers to nurse from their bellies.
The rising sun dimmed the stars, turned the clouds a picturesque purple and pink and streaked the sky with orange and gold.
A doe wandered a little aways from the safety of the herd and foraged at the base of a maple tree, eating mushrooms and pawing up tubers from beneath the loamy spring earth.
But something was amiss. As she ate, her ears perked and swivelled. Had that been a noise deeper in the woods? Were they the only ones out there, taking advantage of the earth’s bounty?
As it turned out… No.

The doe’s head lifted, its liquid brown eyes staring straight into unblinking grey ones. Then, the predator lying in wait struck, bursting from the brush and jamming a handcrafted spear into the animal. Its face was smeared with dirt, cleverly hiding its scent on the breeze. The spear missed its target of the doe’s throat and embedded its sharp bone tip into the front muscle of her chest and she let out a bellow of pain and took off running.

 The rest of the herd scattered; terror gave them the speed to leave the clearing behind. The wounded doe tried to follow, but her numb front legs tangled with themselves and she went down, laying on her side, her chest heaving with pain and fear. The predator ran forward, its hood of rabbit fur falling back to reveal a mane of snow-white hair.

Allie put her boot on the deer’s neck to keep her down as she yanked her spear free, then repositioned it in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she told the doe, voice soft and sincere before she lifted the weapon up and brought it back down, putting her weight into the thrust. The sharp end entered below and behind the shoulder, and the doe let out a cry and then lay still.
Breathing hard, Allie wiped the mud from her face and hefted the spear back up. It dripped red down its toothy edge.
Laying it on the ground, she crouched, pulling her bag from her back. She rocked on her heels, looking at the doe. She honestly hadn’t expected to kill it with just her spear, that had been pure dumb luck. Her hand slid along the curve of the deer’s neck, feeling its rough-smooth fur beneath her fingertips. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Your death won’t be in vain.”

Pulling her trusty knife from her belt, she set about butchering the animal, packing her bag full to the brim with slippery, bloody meat and muscle and entrails for her mate. She didn’t know if he enjoyed the offal of wild game, considering he mostly ate people and not deer, but if he didn’t, she’d turn the lot of it into venison jerky for herself. 

Allie paused what she'd been doing, wiping the back of a sticky hand on her forehead as she sat back on her heels and looked over her work. Blood had soaked into the ground, staining the clover with dark liquid. She picked a piece and held it up in the growing sunlight.
Speaking of that particular devil, her mate had been acting weird lately.
Weirder than what was usual for a ten-foot-tall man-eating monster, in her opinion.

After Noel had been shot, he’d started obsessively patrolling his territory and when she’d asked him why he’d only responded with an unhelpful answer about having to be ready for anything.
Sometimes she’d wake up to find the bed cold and empty, only his imprint in the furs to remind her that he had been there at all.
Allie wouldn’t have minded if that was all he did. She’d gotten used to being on her own in the months she’d barely known he existed. And a creature like him, maybe he needed space from her now and then, to regain control of his thoughts and his emotions. She was fine with that.
But it wasn’t all he did.

It had started a few days after she’d patched him up. She’d suggested going out for healing herbs to help speed up his recovery, and he’d quickly refused, telling her he was fine, she didn’t need to go.
As weird as that was, she didn’t question it. She didn’t question when he decided to accompany her to the washing waterfall every time she wanted to take a bath, or when he took to hunting for her so she didn’t have to leave the nest at all.
It was only when he demanded she remained in the nest when he wasn’t around that she took issue with.
It had led to a little spat, where Noel had told her ‘it was for her own good’, among other infuriating things. She knew he was trying to protect her, from whatever was out there… but she didn’t care. His behaviour and attitude reminded her of how controlling and abrasive he’d been when they’d first met, and she bristled at the thought of returning to that.

So, she rebelled. Allie left a few times a week but made sure to get back before he did each time. She only went out for a few hours each time anyway, since Noel had taken up the responsibility of feeding her as well as himself, she found herself with a lot of free time… and cabin fever.

The sun was shining down on her when she finished, the deer pelt laid out in damp strips on the green forest floor. She’d make it into cords when she got back. She just finished securing her bag’s top when the hair on the back of her neck prickled and she got the distinct feeling of eyes on her from somewhere.
Instinctively she reached out with her mind, wanting to know who, or what was out there.
It wasn’t Noel, he broadcast his presence to all that were sensitive to it, and whatever was nearby was nothing more than an animal. She reached for her knife, moving slowly in case it was a predator. The animal’s mind flickered in her psychic eye and then got brighter, and when she blinked, there was another doe standing at the edge of the glade.
Allie stilled, watching her closely. She didn’t look sick, but there really was no way to tell. The doe’s head was down, her ears back as she sniffed the grass and clover. After a moment, she lifted it and started walking forwards.

Allie weighed her options. She’d seen animals that seemed unafraid of her but were also exhibiting strange behaviours, like foaming at the mouth and walking funny. On principle, not because she knew what was afflicting them, she left those ones alone.
Staring down the whitetail doe approaching her with cautious, but insistent steps, her mind raced.
Why was a deer approaching her? Was it sick? Aggressive? Curious? In her experience, deer fled from the scent of blood and killed things, they didn’t approach. The only deer Allie had ever encountered that hadn’t shown fear of her was…
“Dawn?” She whispered, her grey eyes widening. No, it couldn’t be. Dawn had fled Noel that day and not returned. It had been almost a year, she couldn’t have survived all that time alone, could she? She’d been partially domesticated! Allie had trained her to respond to whistles.

Slowly she stood, sheathing her knife in her belt again. She watched the doe’s head lift, following the motion and then licked her lips. Well, it couldn’t hurt, could it?
She whistled.

The doe’s ears pricked forwards, and she stopped her approach. Allie waited, her heartbeat in her ears, but then she sighed. “Guess it was too good to be true, huh?”
She turned her back on the deer, crouched down to gather the pelt strips, her spear, and her bag full of venison and then felt her head jerk back painfully. “Yowch!”
She almost fell over, her hand going to her hair. “Hey! That’s not grass!”
The doe tugged again, and through the pain, Allie started to grin. She blinked back tears and turned around. “I’ve missed you so much, Dawn…”
The doe dipped her head and allowed the woman to wrap her arms around her neck in a hug. “I missed you!” Allie said again, then her breath hitched as she pressed her face against the deer’s neck. “So much… So much has happened…”
For the next hour, she pets her friend and filled her in on everything that had happened, good, bad and… steamy. Dawn just placidly grazed nearby, avoiding the bloody ground with practiced ease.

“I don’t know, Dawn,” Allie said, her arms behind her head as she lay on the grass beside the deer. “He’s acting strange. It's like...there’s something he’s not telling me. I’m fine with him keeping secrets, but he’s trying to control me again and I…”
She frowned, thinking back to their fight. “He’s come so far in understanding and expressing human emotions, I don’t want him to backslide, you know?”

Dawn’s only reply was to nuzzle and mouth at her hair again, and Allie winced, then laughed. “Yeah, maybe I am being silly. I don’t think he’s ever… been hurt by something he views as prey. It's a whole new experience for him.”
She saw movement at the edge of the glade and turned to look, Dawn’s ears swivelling as well.
Allie blinked at the small creature standing on spindly legs in the brush, back painted with white spots.
“Dawn,” she breathed. “You’re a mama?”

Dawn got to her hooves and walked a bit closer, and the small brown fawn tottered out to meet her, making a beeline for her belly to nurse on.
Allie laughed softly, pushing herself up to a sitting position. The small fawn quickly found a nipple and latched on, and Dawn gently licked its back.
“I’m so proud of you Dawn! Your fawn is beautiful… I thought you’d need me to get through the winter, but I’m happy to be wrong.”
Even still, she felt a small pang of sadness in her chest. All that time she’d worried… and Dawn had been thriving.
After a few more moments of watching the fawn suckle, Allie got to her feet.

Carefully hoisting the pack of meat onto her back and tucking the rolled-up hide strips and her spear under her arm, she took a deep breath through her nose. The air was full of the scent of greenery and tree sap and flowers.
Dawn looked over at her with her limpid dark eyes and let out a little neh in her direction.
Allie smiled and pressed her forehead against the doe’s, scratching her between the ears just like she enjoyed. “I’m sure I’ll see you again. You and your little one!”
She laid a kiss on Dawn’s muzzle and then stepped back, turning around.
It took her a few moments to take another step, but soon she was walking out of the glade and away from her once pet. Dawn would be fine, she had a family now.

She was cutting it close, so she picked up her pace once the glade was obscured by the trees and headed for home. She just had to get there before-

Pain exploded behind her eyes and she cried out and threw out her hand, dropping the spear and hide and leaning heavily against a tree. It felt like there was a thunderstorm brewing in her mind. The storm break was not long in coming.

Where are you?

Noel’s voice echoed through her mind like thunder, her shields broken into shimmering shards. He’d forced the connection, and it hurt. His power was lashing unrestrained at her thoughts, sharp claws digging into her psyche. Dark spots pulsed in her vision and she closed her eyes to stay upright.
She dug her nails into the bark of the tree she was using to steady herself, trying to breathe deep through the waves of nausea and the throbbing headache. Finally, she answered him. I’m safe.
It was not well received. Noel snarled and Allie’s teeth gritted as she painstakingly pulled the remnants of her own power together to put some distance between his fury and her fragile mind.
As if he understood that he’d overreacted, Noel’s power faded out, and the claws in her memories and brain relaxed their grip. But he was still angry, and the headache was still there.
He scanned through her thoughts to glean where in the park she was, looking through her eyes and only when he was satisfied that she was nearby, did he retreat.
With a final growl of Come home now, his presence vanished.

Allie let out a groan and almost slid to the ground as the dizziness left her. Noel didn’t understand what his altered behaviour was doing to her and now there was no way she was going to continue to turn a blind eye to any of it. It was time for her to stand her ground.
When she was ready, she continued back through the woods towards the nest.
The doors were wide open when she arrived, and even before she approached, she could sense Noel inside, furious and waiting. She knew he could sense her too, and so she didn’t hide her approach. When he spoke again, his power was held in check, like he didn’t want to hurt her again.
Come to me, mate.

She held her head high as she stepped into their shared home, preparing to snap back with as much force as he gave, but the sight of the nest stunned her.

It was a mess. Plants were uprooted and shredded, the bed itself was in multiple pieces, soil scattered the floor along with the loose pages of books. She quickly dropped her bag of meat and everything else she’d been holding,
her hand going to her mouth. What did you do?!

There was a rush of silence, and then hot breath ruffled her hair from behind. Slowly she turned. Noel was crouched ferally over her, blocking the way out, tendrils coiling and lashing at the air erratically.
Like an animal showing emotion with its tail, he couldn’t hide his agitation.
His face rippled as it scrunched up, smelling the blood on her. She reached up a hand and moved to touch his cheek, to soothe him, but he hissed at her and jerked away. And then he spoke.

You disobeyed me.

Any sympathy she may have had for him vanished. “Your order was insane!”

Noel shook his head from side to side.
I asked that you stay in the nest when I wasn’t around, and you went behind my back to sneak about the forest!

Allie’s grey eyes flashed with her own fury. “Asked?! You commanded me to stay inside! You didn’t even let me negotiate, just fucked off to patrol again, and expected me to be a good little… whatever I am to you! That’s not asking, Noel!”

He bared his fangs at her, but she wasn’t done.
“You’ve been so different since you killed that human! You’re downright unpleasant, you know that? You promised me,” she said, taking a step towards him. “You’d never harm me. I almost passed out back there! My head hurts like hell, I’d say that’s harming me, wouldn’t you?!”

His mouth shut, and she regretted it. “Look, I know… You’re trying to protect me. I know! But you’re smothering me, and I don’t like it! I don’t know what’s out there because you won’t tell me, but keeping me trapped inside the nest like a prisoner isn’t helping! In fact, your attitude and behaviour… It's pushing me away! Why are you like this? I’m not a child, Noel! I may be physically weaker than you are, but I don’t need to be babied! I thought we were equals.”
The hurt in her voice came through even though she tried to suppress it, and Noel recoiled, backtracking.
You don’t understand, this is for your own good, Allie! You have to trust me-

“Trust you?” She snapped, eyes flashing at his words. “You won’t even tell me what’s going on, and don't-” she hissed right back at him “-you dare tell me you know what’s best for me, Noel. You know how to make people taste best, you know nothing about keeping them happy!

She turned her back on him, ready to storm off and seethe on her own, but Noel reached out and caught her upper arm with his hand.
Allie, please! It’s not like that! If I had any other choice, I’d not impede your freedom. You are as wild a thing as I, you know that. But it’s too dangerous!

“Why?” Allie countered, rounding on him again. “Why is it dangerous for me? You’ve been hiding things from me, maybe I won’t understand, but you’re giving me nothing, Noel, and expecting I just obey you like… like some slave! If this is what mates are, I don’t want it!”
She faltered and Noel’s head dipped, mouth sealing over. He seemed completely taken aback by her outburst. His grip on her arm tightened, and then let go. Allie regretted her words, but before she could apologize, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
It was wrinkled and torn and stained with what looked like blood.

Allie stilled, her eyebrows drawing close. “What is that?”
Noel held it out to her.
You’re right. I’ve been too blinded by fear to realize how my actions were hurting you. Take it.
She did.
It felt heavy to her, but not in weight. Something terrible was on it, she just… knew.
“Noel?” She asked again. “What is this?”

His head drooped a little, in the way she’d come to know as exhaustion.
It is the truth. It’s why I’m so desperate to keep you close, Allie, and part of what I’ve kept from you. I thought it would be fine, that this wouldn’t happen, and that I could keep you here for myself until the end, but it seems that fate had other plans.

Allie swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at the gravity of his words and carefully, slowly unfolded the piece of paper. She treated it like a dangerous thing; like it would bite her.
Even with all her caution, it bit her still.

She was silent for a long moment, taking in the contents of the page, the bloodstains, the inked image and words.
Then her hands began to tremble. “Noel,” she said a final time, her voice almost pleading for it to be a joke, a misunderstanding… “What is this?”

Noel hesitated, his hand raised, but then he laid it on her shoulder, moving closer to her.
It’s you.

Tears welled up in Allie’s eyes, blurring the grainy black and white image of the smiling woman with pale hair, freckles and bright eyes on the page, blurring all the fine print.
The only thing she couldn’t block out was the large, bold MISSING PERSON statement underneath the image. There was a set of numbers there too, but she ignored them, they were unimportant. The only thing that was important was that her face was on this poster, people were looking for her…

Noel’s voice was quiet, somber, when he spoke next.
I took this off the dead human, Allie. They’re posted en masse all over the park entrances. If any human were to see you…They’d take you away. Do you… want to go?

She suddenly crumpled the page up in her hands, feeling an emotion she wasn’t sure she had the knowledge to identify. It was like a sadness, but … worse. It felt like her heart was shredding in her chest. “No! No, I don’t, this is my home, Noel… You're my home!”

She let out a sudden yell of distress and then tore the balled-up paper into pieces, then again, and again until paper rained down around her feet.
She couldn’t speak anymore, just covered her face with her hands and then turned into Noel’s body. He pulled her close, wrapping his long arms around her securely and petting her hair as she began to cry.

You understand now, he murmured. Why I’ve been so… possessive. I can’t lose you, Allie. I won’t say I was right to confine you to the nest, but you understand why I felt that was what I had to do, yes?

She just wordlessly nodded, her hands digging into the fabric of his jacket.
Noel gently gathered her up into his arms, and then he teleported them outside, back to the glade she’d met Dawn in just that morning.
The sounds of nature swelled in, replacing the silence of the nest all around them, and he dipped his head to rub his cheek against her own.