What Lives Among Us

Chapter 1- Run Away With Me

10 Years Ago:
"It's a full moon tonight, Edelstein! Lock up!" Ludwig heard a gruff sounding man call as he walked through his dirty grounded village, pausing as he saw the seemingly choleric Austrian tying one of his best boars outside his stilted house to a splintered wooden post. Seeming to notice the annoyed expression on the mans weathered face as he sighed down at his pig, the elder villager who had first spoken sighed softly and patted his shoulder. He himself was tying up his best goat. "It's better it gets the pig than you, mm?" He murmured with a wary smile.
They lived on the edge of a dark forest. Few knew the village by name... but many had heard of the terrible things that happened there, along with the fact that 80% of it's inhabitants had purple eyes.
Ludwig's mother always told him,
"Don't talk to strangers. Go get water and come straight home." Ludwig tried to be a good boy and do what she said. He really did.
"Ludwig!" As he walked through the forest, Ludwig's little face broke out into a grin, clutching the heavy water bucket in his small hands, as he heard him, turning to gaze at the owner of the familiar voice. Ivan Braginski gave him a wolfish grin from behind the trees, gesturing for the German to stray from the well worn dirt path with shining purple eyes and gentle flicks of his hands. Ludwig couldn't resist and dropping his water bucket, he made sure his stained shirt was patted down before running over with a happy and carefree expression. "Let's go!" The Russian whispered, causing Ludwig to nod warmly and wander towards him. For his age, Ivan was tall. At least a head taller than Ludwig, who wasn't that small. Like the German boy though, the Russian wore brown, hole filled trousers, a once white- now stained brown- short and no shoes.
Following the pail boy between the looming, huge trees, Ludwig's beautiful blue eyes gazed around his surroundings, taking in the tranquillity of the forest before his eyes then fell upon a small wooden cage, crafted from the very same wood that the trees were made of. Inside this cage was what was assumed to be a wild, pure white rabbit. A very rare thing indeed. Ludwig watched as Ivan slowly opened the cage with the greatest care before his hand snapped forwards and grabbed the back legs and ears of the squealing and squirming rabbit as it tried to escape. "Do you have the knife?" The eight year old Ludwig asked, plonking himself down onto the moist leaves and dirt. He reached out to touch the rabbit and strangely, it immediately relaxed in his arms, causing him to raise a blond eyebrow and to shake the hair out of his face.
"Look," Ludwig murmured softly, feeling his cold expression soften, choosing not to think any more about the rabbit who had accepted death. It's eyes were wide and it trembled as if Ludwig were some huge beast "Snow white fur.."
"I'll make you a pair of hunting boots." Ivan promised with a small smile although he had what seemed to be a guilty look on his handsome face, his chapped lips in a straight line, slightly curled downwards at the edges in a soft frown. he looked at his knife for a few seconds, watching as the polished blade glinted into the sunlight before holding the knife to the rabbits neck. The animal seemed to squeak, it's eyes growing wide as if it knew what was coming.
"Do it, Ivan." Ludwig whispered imploringly when, even after twenty seconds, he hadn't seen Ivan make a move to slit the rabbits throat.
"You do it." Ivan retorted quietly, suddenly trying to hand Ludwig the knife although Ludwig immediately pushed it back.
"- No, you do it."
Ludwig knew good little boys weren't supposed to hunt rabbits or go into the woods alone, at least not until he was older... But since he and Ivan were kids, the Russian always had a way of making the usually obedient German want to break the rules.
Present day:
Ludwig hid behind a tree, watching with a grin as he saw Ivan searching for his axe, surrounded with fallen trees which needed to be chopped and them taken back to the village. As Ivan turned around, the muscular German jumped out from behind a tree. "Ivan! Trees'll still be there after we eat." He laughed joyously, resting the axe on his shoulder. He and Ivan had planned to have a picnic deep in the forest earlier that day.
"Give me that." Ivan's said immediately with a roll of his eyes in a rather cold tone. Naturally, this shocked and hurt Ludwig. He had heard that Ivan use this term on people who he disliked, causing Ludwig to immediately assume that he was hated too, despite their years of uninterrupted friendship.
"What will you give me for it?" Ludwig then said with a wink, shaking off his worries and decided that Ivan must've just been trying to rattle him a little.
"They didn't tell you?" Ivan then asked, his expression softening slightly as he saw Ludwig's. Although it had been frowned upon, Ludwig was gay. And, coincidentally, so was Ivan. So, naturally, both boys has kissed once or twice although it always ended in one going bright crimson and the other running away in the opposite direction.
"Tell me what?" Ludwig asked, walking forward, seeming worried again as he realised that something was bothering Ivan.
"They've arranged for you to marry
Elizabetha Héderváry." Ivan said immediately, choosing not to beat around the bush or sugar-coat the situation. He knew that Ludwig despised that.
"Well, my mother finally got
what she wanted." Ludwig murmured, looking down. He honestly wasn't surprised. The Héderváry family were rich and the daughter really was beautiful. However, Ludwig was still confused over why his elder brother, Gilbert, hadn't been chosen to marry her instead. "Money."
"Elizabetha gets what she's always wanted." Ivan retorted with a saddened expression, jealously clear in his eyes. However, Ludwig noticed that the Russian also had a cunning look in those purple orbs of his, causing the German's eyebrow to raise in suspicion. "You."
"So, what do we do now?" Ludwig mumbled, looking down at his feet, which were now covered with scrappy pieces of leather that were supposed to be shoes.
"Do you want to marry her?" Ivan asked, wiping some sweat from his brow.
"You know I don't." Ludwig whimpered with a rolling of his eyes, shaking his head. Ivan knew he was gay after all.
"Prove it."
"- How?"
"- Run away with me." Ludwig looked up in shock to see if Ivan was kidding, even more shocked to see that he wasn't.
"Where would we go?" Ludwig said, bringing his voice down to a hushed whisper. It had always been a dream of his to escape his village with Ivan and if the Russian really was serious, there was no way that Ludwig could put down the offer.
"Anywhere you want." Ivan purred, cupping his cheek with a loving look in his eyes. "The ocean. The city. The mountains...." He then smirked softly although it wasn't a cruel smirk. "You afraid?"
"No." Ludwig retorted quickly without any form of hesitation.
"Oh, no?" Ivan asked, chuckling in amusement, as he looked around to make sure that no one was listening to them. "Really? You'd leave your home? Your family? Your whole life?"
"I would do anything to be with you, you are my life" Ludwig whimpered, leaning in and wrapping his arms around Ivan's muscular torso for a loving and warm hug.
"I thought you'd say that." The Russian immediately said, petting Ludwig's beautiful golden hair.
"- Oh, did you?"
"Let's do something about it." Ivan said immediately, kissing Ludwig's forehead, letting his dry lips linger there a few seconds too long for it to be considered friendly. It was enough to make both men blush like children. It was rather adorable. "It'd be half a day's ride before anyone knows we're gone!"
"I'll race you." Ludwig immediately challenged with a cheeky smirk that he'd kept since he was a child. Letting go of Ivan, he turned and prepared to race against the long strides of the tall man when suddenly, ringing echoed around their village and into the forest. DING.... DONG... DING... DONG... for exactly twenty seconds. Both Ludwig's and Ivan's eyes met in horror before they raced towards their small village but not just for the fun of it. Their eyes were wide, terror engulfing them as their stomachs churned.
"The wolf!" They both cried.