Private Tales The First Hunt

[Fraeya]

She dreamed of very cold stones in front of a fireplace long not used. She was small...three or four... and wore tattered clothing. Ash smeared her skin and thin tunic.

"At least she was cute when she was a baby."

"Still entertaining, though. C'mon stupid human! Sort out the ash like we told you so and then you get a slice of this bread" The fae held up a piece of moldy bread, barely glamored to look like something edible. Fraeya was cold, tired, and hungry. But her mouth watered at the first mention of food that she'd heard in days.

"Oy, what's that? Someone's outside..."

The dream shifted as her body relaxed beneath a layer of warmth she was unaware of.

It was the soft light of dawn that finally stirred her awake. Sitting up, she looked around the camp. "You should've woken me for a watch," she said gently, frowning when she looked downward and realized she was wrapped up in his cloak.

Quickly disentangling herself, she stood prepared for the soreness of muscles and surprised not to feel them. She knew she healed quickly now but still. Without making it look like she was being intentional about taking care to fold his cloak, she held it out to Raphael.

Raph, R.A., Raphy as Sid liked to chide him back in Endora.

"Here."

 

[Raphael]

Raphael took the cloak back and stuffed it into his pack.

"There seemed little sense us both being awake," he squinted past her up through the trees to where the mountains now loomed. If it became too much they could stop with his tribe but he would avoid that if he could.

"Speed is one thing, but climbing is another, Fraeya. There will be a point it would make more sense if we flew."

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya averted his gaze and began packing up her things. Standing, she faced those looming mountains through the trees as she tugged on her pack. The wind was still cold and nipped at her even through the thicker leathers she'd put on.

"As a last resort," she said without turning around.

It was a small relent and the only one she'd offer him.

And like the day before, she felt oddly strong in the dawn. And that strange connection with Raphael had never left. The list offered some very strange magic. Reaching down, she scooped up a handful of acorns and put them in her pocket.

"Let's go." This time, a quick glance at him but she didn't wait for him to launch into the air before she took off running. Even as her feet hit the mountains, she would remain a blur of green and blonde. It wasn't until the incline grew sharply and the snow on the ground became deeper that she finally slowed. Thick clouds were gathering above her and she smelled a storm building on the wind.

But there was something else her sensitive ears picked up in the quickly growing turbulent air. A whooshing sound.

What was tha-

Instinct made her dive to the right and into a high snow-bank, narrowly missing a black-tipped arrow.

 

[Raphael]

Another arrow quickly followed suit before a pair of boots landed not far from where Fraeya had flung herself.

"Look here Izak, a little pup," another male landed beside the first with a nasty looking blade in his hand. He grinned at his brothers words and stepped forward.

"I wonder what it's doing all the way out here?"

 

[Fraeya]

That second arrow skimmed the fabric of her boots. Fraeya scowled, bone dagger gripped tightly in her hand as she stood and turned to face them. Cold-snow sluiced off her face from her dive.

“Ye sure it’s a pup,” the other male smelled the air, shit-eating grin never leaving his cocky face. “Smells different.” A small frown as he realized it was a scent he’d never smelled before. But slowly, that dangerous grin returned.

Fraeya caught her breath and widened her stance just like Raphael taught her. “I was hoping to run into some backwater males out here. You know? For as long as the fae have lived, you think they would’ve evolved by now.”

For better or worse, Fraeya wasn’t scared of a fight. She usually did things smarter. More slyly if she could help it. She’d had to with her human body. But if any of the lessons with the den had taught her anything, it was not to back down from predators.

“You little bitch. I’ll teach you a lesson about males out here.” He lunged forward but Fraeya used her speed to her advantage, dodging as he grabbed nothing but air with a snarl. The other circled behind her.

 

[Raphael]

The first male managed to catch himself before pitching face first into the snowbank.

"Running won't save you," he chided whilst he tried to repair the small tear to his ego. His friend with the nasty knife stepped in Fraeya's path to block her exit though he did not make a move to touch her. Clearly that honour was to be given to the bigger male with red dragon-like wings. "I'm going to enjoy having your pelt on my wall."

When he lunged again it was quicker and smarter. He feigned the direction he was going to go and then twisted at the last minute, lashing out with a strong left hook towards her gut.

 

[Fraeya]

A quick glance over her shoulder as the one with the serrated knife blocked her path. Her attention shifted to the hulk of aggressive male before her. "More backwater comments. Not surprised," she huffed. When he moved, she moved.

This time not quite fast enough. Or, not quite in the right direction. The left hook caught her on the hip. As she stumbled, she brought that bone dagger down swiftly toward anything she could find. Muscle, skin, wings if they got too close. She slashed and stabbed through the air over and over, trying to create some distance between them to reset her feet and get a breath of recovery in.

She could hear the male blocking her exit chuckle darkly.

"Spitfire little thing. Might be better off sellin' her to another clan rather than wall decoration. I'm sure she'd break in the mines after a day or two."

 

[Raphael]

"ENOUGH."

By the time Raphael landed the red-winged male had Fraeya on the ground and they were grappling hand to hand over the knife in her hands. A knife, the shadowsinger was pleased to see, that he had stayed in Fraeya's possession the whole time and drawn blood. Another male landed beside Raphael a second after his order and the grizzled puca blocking Fraeya's path suddenly went pale.

"Izak," he hissed but it was too late. In three steps Raphael was on him and hoisted him up by the back of his neck as if he were the pup, then threw him unkindly into the rocky mountainside.

"I said enough," the prickly cold calm voice repeated. "I thought Sid had drummed it into you all we do not attack first," he glanced at all three males; one looked as though he might be sick, Izak looked as though he wanted to snarl, and the adult who looked similar to Raphael about the eyes merely glared back.

"She was--" Izak began but the words died off when Raphael's steely gaze fell on him. The boy clamped his mouth shut then staggered to his feet. The shadowsinger paid them no mind, turning then to Fraeya. The sights of her cuts only made his gaze more deadly.

"Are you well?"

 

[Fraeya]

Even as Raphael's voice broke through the snowy-landscape. Even as she was suddenly freed from being pinned by that massive male. Her heart continued to rattle quickly in her chest. Adrenaline coursing through her fae body. Her grip on her dagger should've relaxed but it only tightened.

All the pain from Izak's hits were slowly starting to surface - breaking free from the adrenaline. She knew she would have nasty and deep bruising beneath her leathers around her hip and along her wrists where he'd managed to get a grip on her. At least the shallow cuts from the knife were already healing.

She hoped the other bruising would be gone in the next few days at most.

At least there was one benefit to being fae.

It took her a moment to lock her frenzied gaze onto Raphael's. "I'm f," she tried to work the word fine out of her tongue but felt a block.

"F-," a small scowl as she picked herself off the snow with a wince.

"I'll be okay." Words free of a lie left her mouth.

Her ears picked up a quiet threat from Izak at her words but she didn't offer him the benefit of a glance. A quick glance at Raphael's face and back to the third male who had landed.

"Your people?" She asked quietly. Then she turned to that older male. "Does your tribe make it a habit to interfere with official business from the Erlking?" She still held her knife.

 

[Raphael]

Raphael gave a curt nod.

"We were not given word of your... crossing," the male who bore resemblance to Raphael said. "There have been an increase in people crossing these lands, apologies for the error." Raphael's eyes narrowed but the male offered no further meaningful apologies. Instead he turned those eyes to him.

"If that is all?"

"You may go," the three gave a smart, stiff salute and shot into the sky. Raphael watched them go seemingly unaware of the shadows which had formed an almost solid circle of shadows around him before looking to Fraeya. "We're flying the rest of the way."

 

[Fraeya]

Only when they were airborn did she finally sheath her knife. For a moment, she turned sideways and hid her trembling hand from Raphael's view. Fraeya's life growing up had never been safe or easy. And before Delun, she'd just been living to survive, not really expecting to make it to the next day or the next.

But as hard as that period had been. She couldn't imagine being surrounded by males like that for the entirety of her years. Finally, she looked in Raphael's direction, verdant gaze taking in the boiling shadows around him. Shadows that seemed to swirl along his jawline and in his eyes. She didn't respond to his statement, asking instead.

"Are you okay?"

 

[Raphael]

Damn the God's that decided fae could not lie. He glanced down at Fraeya briefly then towards their destination. When they had flown to Endora he had taken the flight slow and gentle, today battling the winds of the maintain and his own nightmares their flight was far more brutal.

"I will be," once these blasted mountains were far behind them and all he had to worry about was Summer. "You did well, from what I saw. Izak is one of the top cadets, not many last so long."

 

[Fraeya]

His compliment gave her mixed feelings. She'd rather face a dozen more Izaks than go airborn again. But with the tense line of his jaw. And those shadows of his and thoughts of how it would make him feel to linger in this place longer than was necessary caused her booted-feet to step through the snow toward him.

Instead of further away.

An argument for why they shouldn't fly was swallowed.

Even with those shadows, she did not hesitate as she stepped right up to the winged warrior. Chin tilted. Her own jaw clenched but for reasons the spy master couldn't possibly guess.

"Let's go."

A shift in her body. Arm lifted, a careful look at his face for any signs that she should pull back before her hand smoothed over one of his broad shoulders and she leaned in, making it easier for him to scoop her up.

 

[Raphael]

The tiniest amount of relief flickered in his eyes and then he was scooping her into his arms where the tension lessened and thrust them back into the sky.

His prediction had been right; his flight was not as gentle as before, but he did check himself enough that the wind did not tear at them. Nor did he throw them into his signature dives despite how it would have lessened their time in the air.

It was still hours before they were offer the impossible peaks and down the other side. His wings flared out as he caught a lower, warmer wind and angled them towards the ground. He didn't stop until they swept over a lake on the hillside and remembered to land with care before letting her go. He didn't say a word as he stalked to the clear edge and begin to peel off his layers to take a dunk.

 

[Fraeya]

At least his body provided more warmth than when she'd been running. She had to turn her head into him just to shield her eyes from the wind and snow. And she hated every moment of it. Not him. But that unsteady feeling of being nothing in the air. Of having to surrender to someone else for control. Of being reminded that her first time flying had also when she'd been at her lowest.

That's what she hated.

But as they cleared the peaks and the snowy ground gave way to more exposed rocks, trail, and pines, until it disappeared entirely. The wind no longer howling and the air already significantly warmer than it was. Iron-vice grip slowly released from the spy master as he released her. As her feet felt the blessed relief of solid ground again.

And then he was stripping in front of her.

It wasn't that she was shy. She could never be that way growing up amongst fae. Perhaps it was respect for him that she averted her gaze or a fear of what might happen if she did look.

"You should rest after...," voice trailed off as she looked anywhere but at him and that lake. "I'll work on camp." Though she was tired and sore herself, she headed firmly in the opposite direction to gather wood and clear some of the ground. She let her pack fall to the ground with a quiet thump. It would give her a chance to check her bruises as well, away from prying eyes.

 

[Raphael]

He had to get the feeling of the mountain off his skin. The sickly gaze of his father and the memories his face brought back, too. He had barely been able to hold onto the darkness inside of him as they had flown and now it threatened to burst - to consume everything. He barely heard Fraeya as he stripped to his small clothes and missed her retreating steps as he plunged into the lake.

Almost instantly the whole thing went black.

Raphael swam down to the bottom of the inky pool and sat on the bottom. He let his fingers dig into the earth and his magic pulse until it qas manageable again. Until he could think past the nightmares again. Inch by inch the lake returned to its reflective hue and Raphael eventually came up for air to lie on his back and stare at the darkening sky.

 

[Fraeya]

She saw the color of the lake once. When she’d turned with an armful of firewood. Eyes widened and she wondered if she had to go in to pull Raphael out if the shadows would consume her, too. Relief settled eventually upon her shoulders as his wingtips and head broke the surface.

By the time he did, she had a fire going with some soup bubbling in a pot. Bedrolls out and mostly tidy. She needed to wash, too, but she wasn’t about to do it in front of Raphael. Not that she was embarrassed of her own figure. She was just a private person. And there were too many moments in her past of the fae shaming her naked, human form.

Maeve had been one of the few that she’d voluntarily allowed to see her in such a state of disarray and nudity. And that was one of the rare times an encounter hadn’t resulted in deep shame or jeering.

But more importantly, she sensed he needed the time. So she would wait and work on the soup. Give him space. At least for a little while.

As the stars began shining brighter, she walked to the shore. Boots off and toes dipping into the water. Even with her enhanced eyesight, his floating form was getting harder to see. “Careful or you might turn into a monk fish.”

She kept telling herself she wasn’t worried about him.

 

[Raphael]

"Puca only get one form, I'm afraid."

With a sigh and a ripple of the current he shifted onto his front and stroked his way lazily back across the lake. If she hadn't of spoken he might have drifted on until morning and then his stomach truly would have been angry with him. As it was he could feel it grumbling to get his arse back to shore. Feet touched the pebbled bottom and he stood reluctantly, casting one more glance at the lake behind him before turning towards the fire. His wings flared to spray water from them and he tossed a hand through his choppy black hair in an attempt to get the worst of the water out.

"Thanks," he commented, nodding to the food he could smell, then picked up his discarded clothes and ambled up the pebble beach towards it.

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya stiffened at his thanks. There was always debt owed at that word and she didn't want anything else from him. Not like that.

"It's fine," she said quickly and firmly faced away from him when he got out, even though he still was wearing some underclothes. "Don't wait up for me. I'll be back in a bit." A call over her shoulder as she began walking around the lake, toward a set of boulders that looked to create a more private bathing area. The moons were out and even without their light, she knew she'd be able to see in complete darkness.

Another strange thing about being fae.

With her old, human eyes she would've tripped several times over by now.

Without glancing over her shoulder, she climbing over one of the boulders and dropped down into a very small cove-like area. Pointed ears listened to the wind for a moment as she cast one final glance about her before she started gingerly peeling off her leathers and hanging them carefully on the rocks behind her.

 

[Raphael]

Raphael kept his back to her as he spooned himself some stew out of the pot and into his bowl. He kept his back to her as he ate and he still kept his back to her when she finally returned on soft almost soundless feet.

"It's good," he said to let her know he could hear her approaching and only glanced up to her when she stepped into the circle of firelight. It was a brief, assessing sweep down her entire body as though now she were clean he could see if she had lied to him about not being hurt earlier. Whatever he saw clearly passed his test for he turned back to finishing his meal. He'd had two bowls and was still mopping up the last bits with a hunk of bread.

Once she was sat he did not not raise his eyes again but said.

"You may ask one question."

Because he was certain if he felt her looking at him one more time he might gauge her eyes out of her skull.

 

[Fraeya]

There was nothing broken from her earlier fight. And while the bruise beneath her clothes on her hip was nasty and discolored, with her healing rate, she hoped it would be gone in the next few days. A wound she was confident he could not see or sense as he seemed to make an assessment.

Blonde hair usually braided away from her face hung freely, damp wavy ends hanging past her shoulders.

She sat on her bedroll, within the ring of firelight, legs crossed beneath her. A low huff at his statement.

"You don't get to tell me that."

Verdant eyes narrowed at his winged form. Fingers dug out the little bit of chocolate she still had left. The one he'd offered the night before. He was so...infuriating. She always imagined it would be intolerable to be around the Army's General. Not the Spy Master. Hells, she'd even take Lorcan at this point.

She thought about not even asking him a question, even though she had a thousand. Like, who was the man that looked like him? What was it like growing up amongst them? What would happen to her if his shadows surrounded her? Did he still have family there?

Insead, with her eyes fully focused on the chocolate she finally asked a repeat of her question earlier.

"Are you okay?"

 

[Raphael]

Raphael nearly snarled at her.

That? That was what she wanted to waste her question on?

He stared at her as the shadows peaked over his wings waiting with breath held to be told to strike. Raphael waited for her to change her mind, to ask a million follow up questions instead or dither like other humans did, but she met his gaze and stayed quiet. So in the end he answered her.

"Now we are away from there, yes," he supposed if she was going to waste such a gift as a single question on that he owed more than the cryptic response he had given earlier.

"I'll take first watch. Get some sleep. Tomorrow we should reach the Summerlands."

 

[Fraeya]

"No, I"ll take first watch. You're exhausted." She'd never seen Raphael's control on his shadows slip that much. And it had all started with the other males in the mountain. And she'd never seen him look at her like that. Why did he have so much malice toward her?

If she wasn't careful, it would only serve as kindling to her own.

"Go to sleep Raphael. I'll wake you in a few hours." her tone brokered for no argument. Finishing off the chocolate, she stood and began gathering the cooking equipment to wash down by the water's edge. Then to put it away. After some time, her dark-vision eyes would flicker to Raphael's face. Satisfied that he was sleeping, she'd wander toward the treeline.

There was a whisper of a few exchanged words from half-a-dozen or so shorter figures. Digging into her pocket, she offered them something, their voices sounding as quiet as the wind. And just as quickly, their figures melted back into the darkness.

She was an hour late in waking Raphael up, giving him a teeny bit more sleep.

Kneeling next to his slumbering form, her fingers briefly stroked his tricep. "Raphael" she whispered. "Wake-up."

 

[Raphael]

Raphael's jaw tightened at her retorting quip and the shadows in his eyes darkened until it was hard to tell there was any white to them.

Be nice to her, Raphael...

The memory of his Princess' soft words caught and held his tongue. Fine. Fine! He went to the lakeside to clean his bowl first then threw himself onto his bedroll, his back to the flames and the line of trees. He watched the moon hang over the lake like a pearl until sleep finally dragged him under.

At the touch of her hand however he was awake instantly. There was no jolt of the body just his eyes snapping open to stare into her face. His eyes then moved to the position of the moon and debated tearing her head off about letting him have an extra hour of sleep. In the end he swallowed it. Kindness, Raphael, she's showing you kindness. But such a sentiment was foreign and made his shadows anxious; kindness was not something he was used to unless from one of his brothers. With a grunt he rolled to his feet and stalked to a rock to take up his own watch.

In the morning, however, it was not his touch but the smell of cooked eggs and bacon that would awake Fraeya.

 

[Fraeya]

That look he'd given to her before she'd fallen upon her bedroll. The same look he'd given to her when she'd refused to give him first watch.

Why did he hate her so much?

The question wasn't enough to keep her awake. Between the previous day's running, fight, and her fae body trying to heal itself, she had one of the deepest sleeps she'd ever had within the fae realms. Even with the smell of delicious cooking food, it took her a longer time to rouse. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she willed herself to sit up.

"Morning," she mumbled, a wary gaze cast toward Raphael. Would his eyes be eclipsed with those shadows again? Fingers tried to smooth the bedhead mess that was her current state of hair.

Not that she gave a banshee's scream about what he thought on that.

Sneaking a glance downward, she gingerly plucked the waistband of her leather leggings aside so she could check on the side of her hip. The bruises didn't look nearly as deep or as angry as they had the other day. Still there but certainly healing.

"Those shadows in the lake yesterday," she began as gently as she could. "If I'd needed to go in after you, would they have hurt me?"