Hold Your Breath | Man x Boy |

⊶»﴾ 𝟷𝟼. 𝙰𝚣𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚝𝚑 ﴿«⊷

・⥋【𝐃 𝐄 𝐕 𝐘 𝐍 𝐍】⥋・
・⥋ 【𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝟹𝟶】【𝟸𝟿:𝟶𝟿:𝟹𝟹:𝟷𝟻】⥋・

Devynn was awoken by the sound of footsteps that were unfamiliar to him. To be quite honest, he'd never noticed it before hearing these footsteps, he even knew what the sound of Áktshü's walking. He was certain that it wasn't Röfyenlyi's either—she was only a child, and as such, was pretty light and didn't have this heavy of a footfall. Surprised that he was the one awoken by the noise instead of Áktshü, Devynn's eyes popped open and he glanced around, noticing he was alone.

So both Áktshü and Röfyenlyi are up earlier than him all the time. That could be good, Devynn thought, peeking out of the shelter Áktshü had built for them. He thought he might catch sight of a monster, more than likely, but instead... he came face to face with a man. His hair was rugged and messy, muddy, his eyes light green, and his teeth were chipped.

He was shirtless and muscular, tattoos covering his arms and upper chest, but they didn't look... they didn't look good. They looked like everything else here did—sickly, uncanny, strange. Devynn didn't know how to describe it. There was a hunting knife tucked into the waistband of the pants he was wearing, and while it looked hand-crafted, it looked much more intricate than the stuff that Áktshü managed to make himself.

"Hey... Hey there," The guy said, his English sounding—if nothing else—like he was focusing all of his attention on formulating the words he was trying to say. It almost felt as if he were using a mental dictionary to find the words he needed to say. Creepy. "Are you lost?"

"N-No," Devynn answered cautiously, glancing around for Happy. He was slightly relieved to see him curled up in the corner of the shelter sleeping still, but only just. He was on guard from the first moment that he'd seen the man, and he wasn't sure if it was just paranoia or not, but he didn't trust this for a goddamn second.

"I was looking for someone," The man said, casually, strolling deeper into the camp and subsequently, closer to Devynn. Devynn frowned, shifting a little as if the shelter would be enough to protect him from an attack. It wouldn't, it barely protected them from the elements. He was fucked. Áktshü, he needed Áktshü but he couldn't get in touch with him at the moment. He didn't even know where he was.

"W-Who? I s-seriously doubt th-that they're al-alive still," Devynn answered bleakly, a little uncomfortable but still empathetic. The man shook his head, a smirk crossing his face as his eyes roamed over Devynn.

"Oh no, she's well and fine," The man said, his eyes glinting evilly as he knelt down in front of the entrance to the shelter. Devynn glanced up at him fearfully, his heart stalling in his chest as he took in the sight of him. He barely even looked human anymore, it was unsettling. Devynn couldn't help but worry that he might find himself looking just as terrifying if he wasn't careful.

Áktshü had been here so long, though, and this man... he was different from Áktshü. He didn't have the same energy. The same expertise. He seemed like a loaded cannon, not really being aimed, but being fired. Devynn just wasn't sure what he wanted to do with—if he was reading the situation accurately enough—Röfyenlyi. She was only a child, and Devynn would beat this man seven ways to Sunday if he was—

"W...Well... I'm g-glad you're sure," Devynn answered, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat up entirely.

"This is a pretty big camp for just one person, hm?" The guy noted, his eyes roaming over the camp scrutinously. "Are you alone out here? With no weapons?" Devynn's heart stalled in his chest, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to answer that. The truth was, he didn't have a weapon except for a shitty knife he used when foraging that Áktshü gave him. Still, this guy was creepy. He didn't really know if he was talking about Röfyenlyi, but alarm bells were flying.