[C] deer hunting

The forest was always a place of comfort - even unfamiliar ones like this. Each forest was different; they almost had personalities, just like the people he knew. More often than not he preferred the company of the woods. Even though he didn't know this place, it hummed with energy, thrummed with life. It was everywhere. He had fully intended to introduce himself up at the house (mansion, he amended to himself - it was far too grand to be called a "house") but after the all the travelling - the noise, the press of bodies, the cold iron everywhere - the forest had been as appealing as a drink of water to someone dying of thirst.

His backpack was flung to one side (it was useful, but also a reminder of human society) and he was sat with his back against a tree, eyes closed to allow him to "hear" the woods better. His mother would laugh to see him like that - he was too young to be so upset, so disgusted with humans, she'd declare. He wasn't disgusted; not exactly. They were just so overwhelming. His hair was thick and short, but that didn't do much to change the overall feminine look to his features - they were angular and catlike. And of course, he had the defining feature of his kind - the pointed ears. The fact he didn't try to hide them spoke about the sort of person - or elf - he was.

Also, the first thing someone would notice: he was completely naked. His clothes were piled up with his bag. Humanity invented shame. Besides - he was alone, wasn't he? He would have to had stripped to take the walk he planned.

Fabian himself had had a similar idea of escaping to the forest as Atlas had.

He strolled through the forest slowly, stroking the rough bark of each tree like a lover's caress.

This was home.

As much as he loved Aurick, he was less than impressed at him today. The Vampire had taken a lot of blood from him, leaving him feeling light headed and spacey. He felt the need to be out here.

He always healed better in the forest.

And so Fabian walked on, his hair tied back out of his face, his body completely bare and his pale neck supporting the evidence that he had recently fed a Vampire.

The forest pulsed like a heart, so he had absolutely no desire to move from where he was. Legs stretched out in front of him he thudded his head back against the tree that served as his backrest. The forest was never quiet - different from the city, muted, but the sound was there. He wasn't worried about animals stumbling across him. They wouldn't bother him.

Fabian groaned softly as he stretched his arms above his head.

He was going to murder Aurick when he got back to their room. He'd feed him poison blood or suffocate him with his own dick.

He felt tired and heavy-limbed. He didn't like this feeling at all.

The Elf, completely unaware of the boy leant up against the tree he was stroking, promptly tripped over the young Elf's legs. Fabian grunted loudly as he collided with the dirt.

Just what he needed.

Fabian just laid on the ground, face in the dirt.

He gave up with today.

He was so out of it - he may have fallen asleep - that he didn't notice he had been ran into (or at least, his legs had) until the other elf was face down on the ground. That was.. puzzling. Unexpected. It took a moment to sort out how he felt about it. He decided it was fine.

This other elf was as naked as he was, and certainly not bad looking. Atlas took a look around to make sure no other naked elves were going to be arriving (sadly, it seemed there was only one) before tucking his legs safely under himself and cocking his head.

"May I ask, are you okay?"

He seemed utterly not bothered. That was because he wasn't.

Fabian bit his lip when he heard the voice.

Great. He had hoped that he had just tripped over a root and could just get up in a few minutes and walk off as if he hadn't tripped over like that.

He rolled onto his side, running a hand through the few strands of hair that hadn't made it back into the loose ponytail he wore.

"I'm fine, thanks." His accent wasn't discernible. It was a mix of all the different accents from the places he had travelled through in his time.

"I'm Fabian."

"Hello, Fabian."
He cocked his head the other direction as he watched him roll over.
"You don't look fine. There appears to be a bite on your neck."
He sounded mildly concerned, but his next question was void of even that. It just sounded mildly interested.
"Were you attacked?"

His hand raised to press against the bite mark on his neck.

"Fang happy boyfriend," he explained. He would have to start telling Aurick to feed from somewhere less obvious than his neck. His wrists or his thighs, maybe.

Perhaps not his thighs. His thighs were already littered with bruises and puncture marks that were clearly visible.

"Not attacked, per se..."

He had consented to it, at least. Even if Aurick had been a little rough in his passions when taking blood this time around.

"Fang happy," he repeated thoughtfully, letting his gaze sweep Fabian again. "That seems pretty obvious." His tone wasn't accusing; he was merely pointing it out.

"That sounds like a pain. Looks like a pain, too." Not that he would know. He only knew one vampire, and he couldn't imagine him dating anyone at all - plus, biting them would be completely out of the question. That was reserved for food, right? Not being a vampire, or a vampire's boyfriend, Atlas struggled to see the appeal.

Again though, no room to talk. He hadn't had a vampire boyfriend, or any boyfriend - for that matter, no girlfriend. He mused on that as he watched Fabian.

The Elf chuckled softy as he rubbed his neck gently.

"If it's really obvious, perhaps I should tell him to tone down a bit." He didn't want to draw a lot of attention to himself when Aurick wasn't around to drag him out of bad situations.

The man nodded with a little grin as he rolled over onto his stomach, resting his chin on his steepled fingers.

"It wasn't a bad pain."

He had most definitely enjoyed it at the time.

"I suppose you should only do that if you want to avoid awkward questions like the one I asked," he pointed out.

"It looked bad. Is there no way to make it look.. less obvious?" He rubbed his hands together and looked down at them in surprise, almost as if he had forgot he had them.

"Actually, I can help, if you don't mind. I have a little healing magic - not much, and nothing that would treat serious injury. But it may help you be more comfortable."

"Yeah, maybe." He didn't care much about the awkward questions. It was more the threat of other Vampires thinking he was okay to snack on because he had marks that made him want to keep marks to a minimum.

"I'll probably just wear a scarf until its healed over a bit."

It wasn't such a hardship.

Fabian shrugged. "It doesn't hurt."

It was just an annoying little itch. Like a small cat scratch or a healing needle wound.

"Hmm."

Coming from a place so sheltered, Atlas had next to no idea about other creatures - even other elves were practically a mystery. Vampire politics was definitely lost on him. His plan of action would be to act as pathetic as possible in the hope he would be left alone. So.. not a solid plan at all. He couldn't even act pathetic now - he was too relaxed.

He laid one hand on top of the other to demonstrate he wasn't going to force Fabian into something, looking at the elf with an intent but quiet interest.

"So do you live up there?" He nodded his head in the vague direction of the mansion.

Fabian rolled over again, laying on his back and arching his body a little so he could tilt his head back to gaze up at Atlas.

"Yupp. Me and Rick have been here for ages." Months.

The longest time they had stayed in one place before.

The man quirked a perfectly plucked blond brow.

"I don't know your name."

He very slowly blinked his eyes - they were the colour of anti-freeze: a deep green. It made them look harsh and didn't fit on his soft face very well.

"Is Rick the boyfriend?" It seemed safe to presume so - after all, no one else had been mentioned in the conversation thus far. Rick was a fun name. He smiled when he said it.

"I'm sorry. I thought I had. I was named Atlas." He sat up a little straighter, as if he could see the house from where they were sat. It was impossible.

"What's it like there?"

"Mhmm."

Someone else calling him Rick. The Vampire would not be happy. He couldn't wait to see his irritated expression.

"Atlas," he repeated softly.

It was an interesting name. Not one he had heard as a name before. When he heard of the word atlas, he thought of the map books.

"Nice enough. There are some rough people there but otherwise its great."

"Rough people?" he prompted, taking his eyes off the forest to look at Fabian. "Rough as in dangerous?" He was lost on what "rough" meant. Rude he could easily deal with, but he wasn't so sure about "dangerous". He wasn't very confrontational.

"They can be if you get into the wrong situation."

He had ended up in two rough situations with very dangerous people while he had been here at the mansion.

He couldn't tell the boy that everything was lollipops and rainbows at the mansion because that just wasn't true. The place could be dangerous if you stepped out of line.

"But if you keep out of trouble, you'll be fine."

"I'm not interested in starting trouble," he stated plainly. "That's not why I came here." Sent there was more accurate, but he decided not to enlighten Fabian to that. They had just met, and the other elf was clearly a little off. Vampires were scary.

"So who's in charge up there? What should I do when I get there?" These were questions he felt were important. He didn't know what the rules here were.

"I didnt come here intending to start trouble, either."

He grinned widely, his emerald green eyes wide. "Trouble has a way of finding people here."

Trouble was a dangerous thing and it was a common occurrence here at the coven.

"Uhmm, you should probably try to look for Lycus. He'll get you settled."

"That doesn't sound fun," he said doubtfully. At least it was.. interesting. He hated to be bored. His eyes brightened at the possibilities. Maybe he was a little hasty to say that.

"Who's that?" he prompted. As much information as he could get would be vital.

"Depends on your definition of fun, really."

Danger could be fun. And there were definitely some interesting situations that happened.

A lot of those were situations that you could laugh at later over a drink with friends. Sometimes it was good to laugh at danger. It made living here just a little bit more healthy.

"Lycus? He's like...mother Elf, I suppose. He looks after us. Helps us when we need it."

He liked Lycus personally. It was an acquired taste, though. The High Elf could be a hard pill to swallow. He could be blunt and rude. But Fabian was used to Aurick. He found the bluntness familiar. It made him like Lycus that little bit more.

"I don't know how to describe 'my taste' of fun," he admitted. "I haven't been around other sentient beings much."

"Lycus sounds nice." At least the way Fabian had phrased it. A 'mother elf' figure would be very much appreciated while he learned the ropes.

"Do we jobs here? Tasks to do?" It sounded.. wrong to stay in a place without paying for it.

Bian gave a half shrug. "Guess you'll find out if living here is your cup of tea."

His expression turned horrified in seconds. "That sounded far too British. He's infecting me with his Britishness," he uttered in near silent horror.

"You'll have to talk to Lycus about that. He can give you tasks to do."

Lycus had tried to get him to do tasks for him before. It hadn't gone too well.

Not that Fabian minded. He didnt much like having to do work.

"'Cup of tea'," he repeated with a grin, relishing the sound of it. "That's a very cute expression. I may have to start using it."

"That would be appreciated. I can do a few things. The rest I can easily learn."