the eclipse [sequel] ☾ l.s.

one - a good day

Harry hummed quietly to himself as he tidied up Niall's corner of the cave for the third time that week. The forest was quiet and peaceful at this time of the afternoon, sunlight flooding generously through the mouth of the cave, making the dreary stone walls feel a bit warmer.

They had spent almost a year in the woods, but it already felt like much longer. After a few months of living on their own, the five boys had fallen naturally into normal routines. They shared their responsibilities pretty easily, and their various skill sets still complimented each other just as well as they always had.

Harry had just turned eighteen a few weeks before, and spring was finally coming, the cold winter air lingering on only when the sun went down. Even as the youngest, he was by far the best cook out of all of them, so the other boys took on the exciting job of bringing back meat for Harry to prepare for them. Niall wasn't too keen on hunting -- he didn't mind once the animals were cooked, but the natural healer in him hated killing -- so he gathered other useful ingredients while the other three tracked actual animals to bring home for Harry's makeshift meals.

Harry had been ecstatic when Zayn first found the cave. It was almost like a little house that the forest had built just for them: the rocks split naturally to form a few different sections, so Louis and Harry had a bit of privacy in their "room" in the back, while Liam, Zayn, and Niall each took separate places in different sections along the sides. The open center of the cave was a perfect common space, where Harry cooked their meals over a fire pit and the boys found a variety of ways to pass the long hours together.

Louis and Niall had actually built a very impressive makeshift door that blocked the mouth of the cave from the wind and rain, and Harry even added some flowers to the outside to make it seem more inviting. Louis still teased him relentlessly for it to this day.

"Who are you inviting in?" he had laughed, watching fondly as Harry carefully tucked the fragile stems into the tiny gaps in the improvised door. "Scouts? Friendly bears? Anyone else who might want to kill us?"

Harry had huffed, not even looking up as he retorted, "I happen to know a very friendly bear."

And Louis interrupted Harry's decorating right after that; he just had to kiss him, and kiss him properly. Harry couldn't bring himself to mind.

About a month after Harry's banishment, Liam and Niall had snuck back into town for supplies, including some medicines (including Harry's pregnancy suppressants), clothes, and mattresses to sleep on. Harry had begged Niall for some real cooking materials, so the Irish boy had slipped back into town a few weeks later. When he returned with a giant pot along with some smaller items, Harry's face had lit up with so much excitement that none of the boys could stop smiling for at least three days.

With just a few simple touches and sprinkles of life, the cave quickly became warm and homey.

That afternoon, the other boys had gone out to hunt for dinner (Louis had been characteristically annoying about leaving Harry alone, and the omega had extended his claws and canines as very questionable proof that he could defend himself, earning an amused look from the blue-eyed alpha). While the others were gone, Harry decided to do some cleaning. He had swept out the entire cave, then tossed out their old coals and built a new fire ring, and then tidied each of the boys' areas in turn.

He hated being alone, but the time flew by.

Harry heard the boys' heavy footsteps approaching the cave, and he smiled to himself. "Don't track your muddy shoes through the eating area!" he called over his shoulder. "I just swept."

"We live in a cave," Zayn pointed out, clearly annoyed. He was never in a good mood after hunting -- Liam and Louis tended to get into typical, alpha-like competitions, pushing Zayn and Niall to the side while they puffed out their own chests. Niall didn't mind at all, but Zayn was trained as a soldier just like them, and he hated feeling useless.