The Woods ✔

Blood

The scent of blood woke Caden up.

It penetrated the air heavily and made the hairs on his neck rise. Blood didn't smell bad, not as bad as some other things anyway, but it was a natural reaction every being had to recoil from the coppery scent. Blood meant that someone's skin had been broken by something dangerous and this something could be set on drawing even more blood.

Caden jerked upright, his muscles tensed and his teeth revealed to fight off whatever was waiting for him. Of course he was used to blood however he usually was the one who spilled it. Obviously not today and he mentally checked his body for any injuries but he felt totally fine.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," somebody huffed and he hissed while focusing on the other person.

Ajax.

The lion sat on the other sofa - completely naked - and pressed a cloth to his ribs.

"I wear briefs," Caden shot back.

"So?"

He refrained from biting out another snide remark and simply studied the strange situation.

The other male was injured and a nudist and woke him up way too often. He assumed it was enough thinking on his part and stretched groggily before placing his bare feet on the ground and pushing himself up. His back popped several times, making him sigh contently.

The whole time he was overly aware of Ajax' presence and he even thought he caught him staring but that was ridiculous. Why would the lion want to look at him? Probably just to distract himself from the pain or something like that.

Caden bent down to pick up his clothes, unconsciously sticking his butt directly in Ajax' face and earning a low growl. He stumbled a few steps away and fought the urge to dive behind the back of the sofa again.

"Nice ass," Ajax deadpanned and Caden felt the heat shoot into his cheeks.

"Don't look at it!" he grumbled and was indeed proud that his voice was steady and didn't tremble. He was a grown cougar and didn't want to behave like a cub anymore whenever the alpha male was in sight.

"I only appreciate the goods," Ajax replied with a shrug, seemingly not bothered by the bleeding wound.

"I'm not some product you can stare at," Caden huffed annoyed and slipped his pants on to shield his nice ass from those shameless eyes. Although he had to admit that they were a quite nice set, vibrant green and framed by dark lashes which were not feminine at all. Before his gaze could wander lower to the fascinating scar on those pink lips he shrugged his sweater on and stalked with as much dignity as possible into the kitchen to look for breakfast.

Ajax chuckled quietly in the living room.

The scent of blood didn't make him hungry at all, on the contrary, he felt a little bit sick and queasy. So he only leaned against the counter to escape Ajax' remarks. The man was probably high on pain killers and wasn't aware what he was doing.

Kaliska filled a bowl with steaming hot water and dipped white linen cloths into it. He watched her curiously though she didn't spare him a single glance and was totally focused on her task. There were some odd shiny instruments on the counter top along with rolled up gauze and some sterile compresses which were individually packaged.

When she left the kitchen with the utensils to tend to her patient's needs, his stomach had settled down a bit and he opened the fridge to find something to eat. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, a fact Michael had reminded him of all the time.

In the end he took out a few slices of honeydew melon and some yoghurt.

There was the occasional pained hiss or grumble in the living room, accompanied by Kaliska's orders to stop fidgeting or to quit this alpha shit. Caden slowly ate his breakfast and tried to avoid the thought that nobody could have stitched Michael up.

Slowly he lowered the spoon and placed it silently in the now empty bowl. A blurry white spot caught his attention and it took some time until he realized that - again - it was his own pale reflection in the glass. He still wasn't used to those unfamiliar features; the blonde hair, the thin lips, the oddly straight and narrow nose. It always took him some time to connect himself with what he saw in the mirror. It was like staring at a stranger.

It wasn't him and he didn't want to be that stranger.

He furiously bit his lip to hold the tears of despair and helplessness back. He wanted to be himself again and wake up in his real body, not this lanky, stupid thing he sometimes still couldn't control. There were times when he woke up and reflexively got on all fours only to feel the hard ground digging into his knees and making him realize that he was human.

Attempting to make friends with Oliver had been an useless human urge and it ultimately had led to Michael's death. So, no, he didn't want to be human and risk those stupid feelings again. Being human made him weak.

Kaliska still worked on Ajax' injury however the lion finally kept quiet. She wouldn't notice it if he sneaked out of the back door, would she? She had to be too focused on her task to hear him.

His fingers hectically rubbed over the knobby scar on the palm of his hand. If he ran as far as possible neither the lion pride nor those humans would be able to catch him. There were still some secluded areas he could live in without meeting anyone for the rest of his live. Perhaps it was the best solution so he wouldn't put anybody in danger again. Because of his selfishness Michael had been killed by those hunters and now the lions were forced to stay out of the woods until the humans had a adequate scapegoat for his stupid deeds.

He drew in a shuddering breath. It was for the best, wasn't it?

Maybe he should let them shoot him to stop this never ending cycle of pain and running away. And maybe he deserved it. To die like Michael.

Nobody would miss him. Kaliska likely would be glad to have gotten rid of him so easily and Ajax would laugh about him and his ass.

Soundlessly he got up and sneaked over to the back door. The sun didn't rise yet but it was only a matter of minutes now until she would peek over the tree tops. The woods beckoned him into their soothing embrace, the wind whispering sweet promises about peace and freedom.

He looked back over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Kaliska's smooth, black hair. She would be happy. It was for the best.

Finally he wouldn't have to feel the bottomless emptiness in his chest anymore. Everything would be over. Perhaps a moment of pain and regret but then nothing.

He wasn't alarmed when he realized that he wasn't afraid to die. Somehow it was okay. Okay to let go.

A cold gust of wind welcomed him outside and he took a deep breath. It was okay; it was for the best.

After all, he hadn't been there so why should he be here?

The door clicked shut behind him.