Deep In The Woods

He Doesn't Mean to Bite

ACE

Ace takes a deep breath. They hear the two wolves walk away from the house they inhabited and Ace realizes the smaller of the two jump between the various sticks on the pathway. Ace's heart starts to drop slightly. They truly didn't believe that Yuki's nature would stay the exact same as it did when the two first met.

But that was the funny thing about trauma. People tended to act the age that they were when they were traumatized. In this case, Yuki first experienced trauma when he was seven years old and it seemed to only snowball from there.

Ace softly clicks their tongue before carefully following the scent markers of the others. They adjust the blindfold around their head. Just wear it, Ace.

If you're lying, we'll know, Ace.

Following the scent markers was easy, so there had to be another situation they would throw Ace into. Probably throwing knives or some shit at them. The feeling of metal flying past their ear cause them to stop walking. A few seconds pass before they realize that Yuki's scent was fading.

Ace's feet start taking them in a direction — possibly west? Ace feels someone shove their shoulder.

The worst part about checking up on Yuki so often is that 1. vampires do not exist and 2. they don't know how close they are to Yuki because they cannot be seen at any costs. That could cause some sort of disagreement between Ace and the werewolf who took Yuki in after insulting Ace the entire time.

Their body freezes and Ace's head angles itself away from facing forward as a stronger smell interrupts his senses. Ace could feel the presence in front of them.

"Why are you following us?" the familiar growl of a wolf interrupts any and all thoughts Ace could possibly have at this point. Ace feels the wolf grab their arm and drag them to the side. Grabbing onto a wall to stabilize and reorient themself, they take a deep enough breath to calm themself down.

"It's called tracking." The cool stone underneath Ace's hand was starting to match their body temperature. "The thing that let me bring that pup to you. The thing you moonbitches fail to do."

"I would watch my mouth if I were you." Ace feels the wolf's hand wrap around their neck, almost like it was an instinctual thing to do. "You shouldn't be anywhere near Yuki, let alone be following the both of us." An offended look crosses over Ace's face.

"I don't think you know what you're talking about," Ace accuses.

"Oh come on, leech," Jonah growls before shoving Ace against the wall. Ace takes a deep breath.

"Let's drop the slurs, deal?" Ace doesn't get a verbal response and they adjust the blindfold. Clearly, the blindfold and the fact they more than likely wasn't looking at Jonah wasn't clue enough. "Deal?"

"Yeah, sure. Look, I just want to know why you've been following him since you dropped him with me claiming that he was biting people but he didn't mean to bite."

"I raised him until he was bit then brought him to you. What do you expect me to do? Completely cut him out of my life? Forget he ever existed?" Emotions swell in Ace's throat as they grow upset. For some reason, they could not ever think of a life without Yuki involved in it in some form. "You cannot take that from me, that'd be weirdly out of your control. Besides, what did you tell him you were looking for? A hole in the wall?"

Jonah scoffs as he shift their weight. The leaves crack and crumble under Jonah's feet. Ace softly hisses. "I told him that I was checking out the stalls so I could replenish our pantry," Jonah admits. Ace snickers. They softly click their tongue before walking up to the nearest stand. The smell of fresh fruit fills their nose.

"So what specifically do you want me to do? Ignore Yuki?" Ace asks once again, the malice that was once in his tone, completely gone now.

"No, I want you to stay as far away as possible when you look out for him. You almost got caught today when you followed us," Jonah simply answers.

"In my defense, I'm blind. I can't physically see where he is and how close I am to both of you. I just hope that I don't get as close as I think I do." Ace stops before gently moving their hand over the table to try to find a piece of fruit rather than just standing their awkwardly. They grabs an apple and holds it to their mouth. They drop a few coins onto the table. Jonah snickers under his breath, causing Ace to turn towards where they believed his body was.

Ace suddenly freezes, the sound of branches breaking and leaves crunching. Their head snaps towards where they were pretty sure the wall sat. They softly click their tongue. "Is that the inner wall?" Ace softly asks.

"No... That's the concerning part." Jonah nudges Ace in the opposite direction. "Go back to your hive and give them a heads up." Ace doesn't move, their legs stuck to the ground.

"Hey, I should tell you, if you see or smell anything in regards to Yuki's parents, do not let them near Yuki. They shouldn't even be in the outer walls but I just need to make sure you knew that."

"Why?" Jonah asks. A sense of confusion practically emanated from his person. Ace thinks. They didn't know where to even start — the abandonment or the attempted mercy-killing. A scream almost pulls Ace out of their thoughts.

2026

Of course, Ace had to have been pushed out of the house the minute it started down pouring. They wouldn't be able to hear the clicks they needed to make and the smell? The humans would start smelling like wet dog. Except with the hint of sweetness from their blood. Even worse, the werewolves in this wall would smell like they had never bathed in their life.

Ace was even more confused at the lack of sounds outside. Maybe it was just too much focusing on the rain. The sound of screaming and pleading immediately fills Ace's ears. They slowly and carefully follow where they thought the sound was before running into a wall. Soft curses leave their lips. They couldn't tell if it was blood or water running down his forehead, but the sweet smell seemed to answer the question.

"No! Mom!" a child-like voice practically screeches. Almost immediately, it's followed up with sobs. A scared scream erupts in the air. It was almost like they were being hit... The smell of blood reaches Ace's nose and he freezes.

Almost immediately, it falls silent. Something just wasn't right about this entire situation. Maybe it was because a child was the most sacred part of society and here Ace was, not helping the child in their time of need. Ace slowly follows the smell of blood, hoping they don't get too overwhelmed, considering that they were supposed to be feeding at this point too.

Fuck it.

2033

The sudden crack is what pulls him back to the present moment. Yet, the crack was odd. There were no true trees in the third wall. Meaning that the crack came from the second or first set of walls. "Jonah..." Ace slowly says as he tries to attune his hearing towards the second wall.

"Look, if you're trying to get me to-" Ace moves slow enough to cover Jonah's mouth without hurting him. In a split second, Ace takes off. Whether or not they were physically seen using their speed was a later him issue once the screech broke the comforting bustle of everyday life.