Monster Anthology [MxM]

Hunted

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual violence, r*pe (not described or romanticized), violence, manipulation, gaslighting, omegaverse

"It's not fair," came Jessai's small voice into the dim room, a voice quivering with fear. "Why do you have to leave again? You just came back... the king can do without you for a few days, can't he?"

Fingers threaded through his silken brown hair as Tanner stewed in silence, staring up at the ceiling. Every time he left, Jessai protested without fail.

"I won't be gone long—King Alric assures us it's just a routine hunt," Tanner murmured, shutting his eyes slowly. He let out a gusty sigh, resting his hand atop Jessai's head.

"So send one of the others out. You've got lots of hunters, why do you have to go on every hunt?"

"I don't go on every hunt and you know it," Tanner muttered, shaking his head. "Sleep. I gotta leave at sunrise."

"I don't want you to leave." Jessai shifted, pushing on Tanner's chest as he straddled on top of the hunter. Even in the dim bedroom, Jessai's fierce, narrowed blue eyes glowed in defiance. Another sigh and Tanner lifted one hand, brushing the lanky strands from the younger man's eyes.

"You think I want to? King Alr-"

"Alric can go hang himself for all I care!" Jessai shouted, his fingers fisting, grabbing Tanner's chest hair. "You're not leaving tomorrow!"

Tanner winced at the force of Jessai's grip, then dropped his hand from the young man's cheek. "Jes... I don't have a choice. I'm ordered to go."

Silence suffused the room for a moment before a loud sniff came from the young man. He didn't speak; the shadows of the room betrayed the man's shaking silhouette. Slowly, Tanner lifted his hands and rubbed gently over Jessai's arms.

"I'll be back soon. Promise."

"If you leave... I won't be here waiting. I'm through waiting. You keep promising to leave the hunters, to stay here with me, to find something safer... but you never do. I can't do this anymore. Don't... don't expect me to be here when you get back."

Speechless, Tanner blinked back the rise of emotion. First confusion, his thoughts groggy and clogged with webs. Then anger surged like a beast inside of him and he suddenly rolled, the momentum sending Jessai crashing onto his back with an umph, Tanner above him. A growl vibrated in the back of his throat, rumbling in his chest as he bared his teeth and pinned Jessai's wrists above his head.

"If you leave, no one will take you in. I stuck my neck out for you when you arrived. No one wanted to trust you; no one wanted to even let you in. For all any of us knew, you were one of those damned change-beasts and were just trying to trick us. Think if you leave me now, anyone's gonna take you in? There's no empty buildings, babe. Everyone's got their own family to think of. I'm the only one you've got."

The stubborn lift of Jessai's chin slowly dipped, and the young man looked away. His tongue flashed over his lips, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he gulped down a breath of air to calm himself.

"I never said I'd stay here. You guys aren't the only settlement, ya know... there's another one over the -"

"Over the Vaulted Mountains, we know. And there's another one to the south, past the Ochre Woods. And another one next to the Red River Falls. More suspicious than we are, Jes, all of them. Wanna know what happened the last time we went near the Ochre settlement?" Tanner paused and slowly pushed himself back, sitting on his haunches. He turned away from Jessai, towards the bolted window. Jessai inched up onto his elbows, watching, listening.

"They shot at us. Pulled sharpened stakes up from hiding, so we couldn't get any closer. We tried to talk to them, tried to explain who we were, but they wouldn't listen. They started firing arrows without any words to us at all. No warnings, no threats, nothing."