The air tasted damp.
Darius blinked awake slowly, groaning. His head was pounding, mouth feeling swollen and slimy. Hacking up nothing, he pushed himself up, heart pounding rapidly. Nausea settled in his stomach.
Where am I?
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he took in the cavern. A soft bed of moss and leaves cushioned him against the hard ground. It didn’t do much though, given how sore his entire body felt. Wincing, Darius rubbed his aching lower back and neck.
A dying fire crackled a few feet away from him. Beyond that was a covered entrance with scavenged foliage and broken branches. If he had to guess, it must’ve been daylight already based on the light poking through the cave’s mouth.
The moment he got to his hands and knees, the sick feeling in his stomach roiled up. Darius turned his head into the bed of shrubbery, vomiting up almost pure acid. His throat burned and his eyes teared up. With a concerted effort, he wiped at his mouth and tried to push down anymore nausea.
“Are you okay?”
He shook his head, disgusted. A makeshift cup of water was pushed under his nose. Not thinking much of it, he drank, feeling some semblance of awareness return as cool liquid washed through him. “Got any more?” Darius rasped.
“Yeah. Hold on.” The stranger took the cup back, refilling it within moments and returning it.
This processed repeated itself a few more times before Darius felt more or less able to speak. He slowly turned to face the person. In the faint light it was hard to get a clear look, but those golden eyes brought everything back.
Darius jerked away defensively.
“S-Sorry!” the young man called out, sounding painfully earnest and much more scared than Darius. “I’m sorry. Last night, I wasn’t trying to attack you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He choked up, clearly on the verge of tears.
The stranger was half naked and covered in scars. A tattered pair of jeans hung loosely around a slim waist, looking very much like they had been taken as a last resort. The longer Darius studied him, the more obvious it became that this was all a very confusing misunderstanding.
Pressing one hand to his pounding head, he noted the sticky salve on his palm. “What’s this?” he muttered, frowning at the strange gel.
“I-I did that!” the stranger piped up, still keeping a distance as if he would be punished for trying to get closer. “You got a few scratches when I tackled you. Sorry. I really thought—” He worried his bottom lip, trailing off.
Master.
Darius grimaced. He had heard about relationships like that before. Sometimes they were discussed on the internet and television. Human products. Sex slaves. He glanced at the ruined bed of moss. “Sorry for that.” What if this was his hideout? The place he had been trying to make into a home while being homeless?
It would be a smart idea. If this “master” was roaming around looking for him, hiding in a forested area would make sense.
“Oh no! It’s okay. I made that in a hurry. I wish it could’ve been better for you.”
“Do you…live here?”
Gold eyes widened. “No! No, of course not.” He squirmed uneasily. A few times, he opened his mouth as if to begin an explanation, but then would halt. Confusion clouded his expressive face for quite a while.
Darius stayed silent, simply watching him for any sudden movements. Finally, the man said, “I confused you for someone else. I was panicked last night. A lot happened. But, you know Master, don’t you?”
Before Darius could answer, the stranger leaned forward. Both of his wrists were heavily scarred and bruised. His nails were black and dense—more animal than Human. “You smell just like him. Exactly the same,” he explained rapidly, excitement getting the better of whatever reservations he had only moments ago. “So, you know where he is, right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Not to be deterred, he sniffed the air around Darius. “I’m sure of it.” Up close, he could make out the distinct softness in his features. Despite the rough condition of his body, his face was gently rounded and surprisingly innocent. “I just—I wasn’t trying to get away. Not at all.”
“Let’s start with your name.” Darius waved a hand and sighed.
“Oh. Right.” He ducked his head sheepishly, eyes shifting back and forth. “I’m Lan. And you?”
“Darius.”
The name failed to elicit much of a reaction. There was a more reserved excitement reflected in gold, but no outbursts followed. Darius figured that must mean he really didn’t know this person. These days, he was quickly learning that even if he couldn’t recall someone, perhaps they knew him.
The circus had a way of burrowing into memories.
Suddenly, pieces began to click into place.
“It’s only used to tame our wild beast.”
Darius scrambled to his feet, catching himself on a wall when blood rushed to his head. What sort of person—creature—had he stumbled upon? If Kallum didn’t view this stranger as a person, then what was he? “You’re with them,” he breathed, just shy of frantic. “The circus. Delirium.”
Lan nodded rapidly. “Yes! Or mostly.” Frowning, he touched his bare throat. “Do you know how to get back there? You must, right? You smell like Master,” he repeated.
Oh. Color flooded his face and the sheer act of blushing made him feel ill. Flashes of crushed snacks and a shattered bottle of juice came back to him. Swearing silently, Darius glanced toward the cave entrance. “Your…master. I guess I do.” He ignored the way Lan perked up in his peripheral vision. “Where did you take me?”
“Some woods. We’re only thirty minutes from the city.”
Darius sat back down, leaning against the cave wall. “If we go out now, it’ll be too hard to hide ourselves.” His eyes surveyed Lan’s body. He glanced down at himself, noting the scuffed sweater covering his torn open shirt. There was no way to get around that either. “We’ll get weird looks.”
“I understand,” Lan nodded quickly.
Patting down his pockets, Darius found none of his personal belongings, save for the damned glass egg. Not even his wallet was around. Had it all been left on the street? He panicked, looking around the cave then. Relief washed over him as he spotted the keys and wallet sitting near the fire. It had been emptied, all the contents laid out.
“Sorry,” Lan mumbled, watching as Darius started putting his wallet back together. “It got wet when your stuff broke.” He slumped, brows drawn together. “Uh, you had this too.” He reached into a pile of leaves by his side, pulling out a cracked phone. “This must have fallen out when I tackled you. Was it important?” The guilt gnawed at every word.
Darius took the crushed device and shook his head vaguely. “I only had a few contacts in there.”
“Contacts? Friends?” he prompted, perking up. There was innocent wonder on his face and Darius suddenly couldn’t understand how Lan would be anything other than a young man. Not even the hint of a beast came through.
“Yeah,” Darius nodded slowly. “Just a friend and my parents.”
Lan listened with rapt attention, though Darius wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear beyond those facts. He was just like every other introvert. A normal upbringing colored by painful shyness. Not many friends to speak of. Not many familial ties either.
“I grew up seeing Delirium shows,” he admitted softly, testing the words. It felt like a long-kept secret. A memory becoming clearer with each passing day. “But I stopped going when I got older. School was difficult. I had a hard time, but my friend Lara also did badly.” Darius chuckled. “We must’ve gotten close because of that.”
“Wow,” he mumbled with an almost dreamy sigh. He rubbed absently at his scarred wrists, smiling. “That’s amazing. Then you live in London? Or around here?”
Darius wasn’t sure why talking to this creature (beast? Night Child?) was so easy. It felt like he was even more of an open book than Darius. The predatory aura he had grown accustomed to with Kallum was markedly lacking. “No,” he shook his head, “I’m from New York.”
“Oh,” Lan’s smile grew. “I’ve always wanted to join the tour. Everyone spends a lot of time away from here. It’s usually just me who stays.”
“Why?” The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
Surprised, Lan stifled an embarrassed laugh. “If Master hasn’t told you anything, maybe he thinks better of me now.” There was clear uncertainty in his voice despite the stiff smile plastered to his lips. “W-Well anyway. You must be tired. If you wait a bit, I can clean up the bed and make a new one.”
He was already getting up before Darius could protest. Exhaustion had left a lingering ache anyway, and the idea of resting was tempting. Scooting back against the wall, he leaned heavily on it, taking deep breaths.
“Happen to have any food?” he asked.
Lan glanced over, arms full of the stained moss. “I can catch something.” He looked much too happy at the prospect and quickly headed for the cave entrance.
The day passed quicker than Darius expected. He had severely underestimated the state of his own body.
Although Lan had brought back probably a few days’ worth of meat and fruits, Darius devoured the majority of it. It was feasibly the most delicious meal he’d ever eaten, followed by the most fitful sleep of his life. There was safety and security in knowing Lan was watching over him.
Why exactly that was, eluded him.
Night was in full swing by the time he opened his bleary eyes. In spite of expectations, his head felt light and clear. None of the usual fogginess clouded his thoughts and the implications of that terrified him.
Lara had said something about that the last time they spoke, right? He was more alive than ever before.
“I think we’ll be okay traveling now.” Lan prodded at the fire. Only faint traces of their meal remained. The rest had been carefully cleared from the cave already.
Scrubbing sleep from his eyes, Darius nodded. “You know the way back?”
“Yeah. If you’re feeling too tired, I can carry you, too,” Lan offered, preparing to snuff out the fire. “You’re pretty light.”
As much as his pride protested, Darius could already feel a dizzy spell coming on as he stood. Grudgingly, he agreed. “I’d probably slow us down if I walked.”
He grinned. Although they hadn’t spoken much throughout the day, it seemed to be the most interaction Lan had ever experienced. At least, Darius thought so.
“It’s going to get really dark in here once I put out the fire,” Lan warned. “Wait by the entrance and I’ll meet you.” He pursed his lips, and rather apologetically, added, “If that’s okay?”
“Yeah.” Darius nodded slowly, wandering down to the covered entrance. He wasn’t sure what was appropriate to ask and what wasn’t. Now that most of his faculties were back, a whole world of questions bogged him down.
What was Lan to the circus? How did he fit into the scheme? Why was he so hesitant to speak? The Ringleader had whipped him? The thought made Darius grimace. In what context was that right? An actual bullwhip being used on Lan? He couldn’t fathom the purpose. Even with his beastly qualities, he wasn’t an actual one. Was he?
The light vanished.
Darius swallowed a shout as a gust of wind whipped around him. A hand closed around his wrist, jerking him into a whirl of light and foliage. Fresh air burst forth and suddenly the starry sky filled his vision. It lasted only a moment before spindly trees warped around him, racing past at unbelievable speeds.
A snicker.
“You’re gonna choke me,” Lan laughed with abandon, arms locked around the backs of Darius’s thighs. His wild shock of hair tickled Darius’s cheek, flicking madly in the wind.
“Why are you running?” he called hysterically over the rushing wind, not daring to loosen his grip. It felt like if he let go, he would just fly away.
Trees blurred and even the sounds of the forest were being overwhelmed.
“If I walked, we’d never get back in a night,” Lan responded, a smile in his voice. For a split second, he tilted his head back, razor toothed grin and glowing gold eyes making Darius’s heart lurch.
Burrowing his face into one strong shoulder, he shut his eyes. “I’m gonna puke if you don’t slow down,” Darius groaned.
Between breaths, they were suddenly at a jog—practically a walk, in comparison to the earlier speed. “You need a second?” Lan asked.
Reluctantly leaning back, Darius took a few deep breaths. A swear tumbled past his lips as a sweat broke out across his forehead. “What…”
Lan adjusted his footing. “Ready?”
“Wait!” he shouted quickly. The body holding him up relaxed. Exhaling with relief, Darius tried to organize his disheveled thoughts. “When you said thirty minutes away from the city, was it going at this speed?”
A nod.
Darius warily looked around, taking in the dense forestry around them. The only source of light came from above. The stars and moon. Practically untouched by the artificial glare of civilization. Where are we?
“You…Are you a Night Child?” he whispered, unsure how exactly that would make him feel.
Was it wrong to assume all of them were dangerous? Lan didn’t seem like them. Not at all. But what else could he be?
The silence that met him felt heavy. Possibly sad. Confused?
Darius took a deep, calming breath. “If you weren’t one, I think it’d be fine.”
That seemed to be the right thing to say because Lan immediately straightened up, head lifting. He didn’t turn back around again, but the atmosphere lightened. Darius waited for him to say something. Anything. Instead, Lan was off again.
They raced through the forest at slightly slower speeds. Darius based that purely off of being able to keep his head up without getting dizzy.
“You okay?” Lan called back. He sounded breathless but enthralled. Free. Alive.
“Yeah!” he shouted back.
In answer, Lan howled. Long, low, and with abandon. It rumbled through Darius’s bones, sending chills straight down his spine. The sound broke the night, dozens of birds launching into the air. When Darius dared to tilt his head back, he saw the stars whirring past, cross-cut by fleeing shadows. The sharp tang of dying leaves and earth carried in the wind, filling his lungs and reminding him how to breathe.
This is what it means, right?
A laugh bubbled up.
He lowered his face, more laughter building up and spilling out. Lan joined him, shoulders shaking as he howled once again. Creatures scampered away and trees danced. And then, somewhere between embracing and panicking over the rapid thump-thumping of his heart, Darius felt himself ripped away.
His arms tore free, legs outstretched and vision swarming. A gasp was strangled in his throat as a freezing embrace welcomed him home.
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