Chapter Text
Johnny waited patiently by the water, watching for the ripple that would signify food for his clan tonight. A flash of darkness flicked past a rock and he struck, successfully pinning a good-sized bass. He huffed as the cold water lapped against his fur as he waded in to secure his catch and retrieve the spear. The fish gave a final flop as he tossed it into the net he had brought, it joined the other few fish that he had caught only a few minutes prior. Glancing at the sky, he decided it was time to head back to his clan and help cut the fish and prepare the meal.
He gathered the net and his spear and began his way back to the camp. Hooves hit the dirt, creating a rhythmic tap tap tap as he trotted along the path that had been worn into the forest floor over years of use. The walk wasn’t long, maybe 15 minutes if you took the time to smell the roses. The sun had quickly set as he made his way down the trail, darkness quickly engulfing him in the heavily wooded area. He figures he’s about halfway when he hears a noise in the trees to his right. He pauses only for a second, glancing into the darkness. A slight shift in the air, he stifled the feeling of fear before it could fully seep down his spine. His legs are moving before he can wonder how tasty he would look to a predator.
As a faun, his kind was used to being hunted. Speed and smarts were required for survival, especially where John's clan resided. Deep in the forest, dangerous creatures lurked behind every corner, every secluded bush or shallow cave had the chance of concealing a hunter searching for its next meal. Johnny had seen his fair share of injuries on his clanmates, barely escaping death a few times himself. His family had the scars to prove it, and would make story times at clan events all the more entertaining. He had heard stories of feral wolves, humans, and wars against centaurs and dragons since he was a wee lad, always enraptured by the tales of warriors, tales of his kind defying the odds in battle.
The wind was picking up, the smell of rain growing heavy in the air as Johnny sprinted along, he clutched his spear and the net of fish closer to himself as the storm rolled in. He cursed under his breath, wondering how no one had sensed the storm and told him before he went out. He gasped as his hoof got caught on a root, the net of fish slipping from his grip as he stumbled. His heart was racing as he felt panic well back up, uncontrollable now as he felt eyes on him. His nan would say he was imagining things, but all of his instincts screamed at him to run. He scrambled for the net before he caught a glance at movement in the woods. He gave up on the fish, running at full speed back to camp, praying that whatever had been watching him wasn’t tempted to bring its friends for a faun feast.
He skidded through the entrance and threw the large wooden gate closed behind him. If anyone else had been out on the Eastern side, gods help them because he wasn’t going to leave the gate open. He took a few deep breaths before walking farther into the camp, doing his best to look like he hadn’t just run for his life and lost the fish he had worked so hard to spear. His sisters greeted him on the porch to the small hut they called home.
“Johnny,” Elsie, his eldest sister, says, brows bunched in concern. “Did something happen? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He shakes his head, willing his shoulders to relax. “No, everything’s fine. Just got a bit spooked on the way back is all.” He shifts nervously as Elsie stares him down.
His other sister tilts her head. “Didn’t you go out to catch fish?”
Johnny huffs, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn’t send the whole village into lockdown.
“Yeah I- there was a fox. He looked hungry and I didn’t wanna get attacked so,” He flashes his most apologetic smile while trying to pass them to get to the door.
“I’m sure there’ll be plenty to eat without the few that I got today. I’ll help in the kitchen tonight.”
Blaire and Elsie shifted to let him pass.
“You’re going out again tomorrow!” Blaire called after him. Johnny looked over his shoulder and gave her the stink eye before disappearing into the house.
“Ah, Johnny! You didn’t manage to catch anything while you were out?” His mom greets him from the kitchen.
“No, storms rolling in. Didn’t manage any fish either. Sorry.” He quickly cleaned himself up before joining her side at the counter. She hummed in reply as he quickly helped her prepare dinner.
—
He found himself back on the path to the lake, the rain from yesterday causing the ground to squish under his hooves as he trotted along. He couldn’t shake the feeling from the other day, doing his best to shake the unease of being watched again. Just as he convinced himself he was fine, he heard a noise behind him. He froze and spun. There was nothing. He forced his breathing to steady. Probably just a squirrel or bird hopping around in the underbrush. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a growl, low and close. The hair stood up along the back of his neck. Johnny found himself once again running as fast as his legs could carry him. A sharp turn caused him to lose his footing, he could hear the creature literally on his tail, the world spun as he fell, his shoulder hitting the rough bark of a tree. He landed in the dirt painfully, pain shot up his wrist as he struggled to get back up, but before he could get his hooves under him, hot breath enveloped the back of his neck. He heard himself scream as sharp teeth bit into his right shoulder. A heavy body leaned on top of him, claws bit into his flesh as the monster wrestled him to the ground. Johnny fought, kicking and punching, he managed a solid kick to the beast as he spun himself around, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he landed more hits to its face. He registered enough that it was some kind of giant wolf. Johnny grabbed a clump of fur and tried to yank the wolf's maw away from him. The wolf only growled in response, tightening its jaw on his shoulder. Johnny gasped as the pain flooded past the adrenaline. He was quickly losing the energy to keep up the fight. A claw dug deeper along his thigh and the wolf yanked his shoulder up, Johnny felt his body give up, barely registering hot tears streaking down his face as he sent up a jumbled prayer to whatever god might be watching. Black spotted his vision and the ringing in his ears intensified as he heard another loud growl before he let unconscious take him.
Johnny woke up. He moved to get more comfortable and groaned as pain seared through his body. He opened his eyes, blinking against the light that was filtering into the cabin he was in. cabin? He forced his head to turn, wincing at the fire that shot through his shoulder. He was in a cabin, nestled in a pile of blankets on a small couch next to a fireplace. He looked down and noted the bandages that wrapped his thigh and torso. The memory of the wolf on him caused a shiver to creep up his spine, he let himself fall back into the furs, tensing as he heard heavy footsteps from somewhere in the cabin. He closed his eyes, praying that whoever had brought him here wasn’t cruel enough to kill him after seemingly caring for him. He curled in on himself as the footsteps got closer. They stopped close to him and he opened his eyes to see dirty boots facing him. A human? He closed his eyes again quickly, praying they would just leave him alone and let him go. He listened as the human shifted, then walked away. Johnny let go of the breath he had been holding, slowly unfurling himself and sitting up a bit more. He caught a glance at the back of the stranger. Dirty blond hair and broad shoulders disappeared into a room near the back of the cabin.
Johnny slid off the couch, being careful to make as little noise as possible as his hooves met the hardwood floor. He quickly checked over himself a bit more thoroughly. Bandages wrapped carefully around his furry thigh. The hair in the surrounding area must’ve been cleaned quickly, some spots of dried blood were still matted closer to his skin. His shoulder ached as he moved to stand up, the bandages pulling against the damaged skin. He stood shakily, carefully testing his weight on his left leg. It hurt, would be a bitch if it opened again, but he figured he could run far enough away that the human would lose him. He glanced over to the window, darkness was quickly setting over the woods. He thanked the gods that the human didn’t bring him back to a more urban area. He turned to find the nearest exit and yelped when he ran face-first into a muscled chest.
“Steamin’ bloody-” Johnny cursed and looked up as the human stared down at him. The man's gaze was hard, brown eyes bore into John's soul as he felt heat rise to his cheeks. He knew from the belt up, fauns and humans were basically the same aside from the obvious ears and horns, but he’d never imagined they could be attractive. All the stories of humans had always described them as terrifying and ugly, and although the man towering over him could be described as terrifying, he was far from ugly. Johnny was snapped away from his thoughts as the man stepped back carefully, his eyes softening as he seemed to register how tense Johnny was.
“You can leave if you want, but I wouldn’t advise it.” The man spoke carefully, his voice a deep rumble. Johnny blinked up at him, his brain was still a bit groggy from being trapped in fight or flight for so long.
“Is that thing- wolf, still out there?” he managed to ask, wincing as shifting his weight caused his leg wound to flare up. The man grimaces and then nods, moving to give Johnny more space.
“Unfortunately he’ll probably be back. Here,” He gestures back towards the loveseat next to the fireplace. “Sit down before you open any injuries back up.”
Johnny sighs and makes his way over, letting himself fall onto the plush cushion. He watched curiously as the blond tossed a few logs into the fireplace before lighting it and stepping back. The man stared as the flames began to envelop the logs before turning back to the faun on his couch.
“You hungry?” The man asked, shuffling the old lighter he had used back into his jeans pocket. Johnny nodded, absentmindedly running his hand along the fur nestled against the bandages on his leg.
“Yes, been a long few days, with that beast chasing me.” Johnny looked up to see the man's brows furrow slightly before he turned away towards the kitchen. He let himself relax into the couch as the smokey warmth from the fire settled in the room. Clearly, the human wasn’t planning on hurting him, and he must have done something to get that wolf off of him. Johnny's mind drifted, wondering why the man would put himself in such a dangerous position. He was interrupted by a bowl of some kind of stew being shoved under his nose. Johnny stiffened at the sudden appearance before smiling and gratefully accepting the bowl and spoon that were being offered.
“Sorry, I hope leftovers are fine with you. Made it the other night.” The man spoke before hurriedly turning back to the kitchen. Johnny thanked the man before tucking in. It was probably the best thing he’d eaten in a while. He hummed happily, taking a moment to peer over the back of the couch and watch the human as he cleaned up the small kitchen area before slipping outside.
Johnny finished his food as the man came back inside with more wood for the fire. He set the bowl down on the small side table and stretched out, noticing how the man turned and watched him after he had set more logs on the fire, before walking past and taking the bowl and spoon to be washed. Johnny pulled his legs up onto the couch and curled himself into the corner. The man walked back and hesitated next to the couch. Johnny looked up at him, then smiled and patted the cushion next to him.
“You can sit next to me, lad! Promise I won’t bite as long as you don’t.” He smiles as the man huffs a laugh before sitting down. Johnny shifts a bit more as the cushion sags with the weight, making sure his hooves aren’t pressing against the man's thighs.
Johnny clears his throat after a minute before speaking again. “Don’t think I ever got your name, by the way. I’m Johnny.”
“Simon.” The other man relaxes a bit as Johnny just nods and leans back into the couch.
—
Johnny woke to the loud bang of the cabin door being slammed, followed by Simon muttering under his breath as he kicked his boots off and stormed through the cabin.
“What's going on?” Johnny forced himself awake and pushed himself off of the couch. He turned towards the back of the cabin and couldn’t help the gasp that slipped from his mouth when he saw Simon. The taller man was in the middle of peeling a very bloody shirt from his torso, fresh gashes ran across his stomach, blood dripping lazily down to the belt of his jeans. Simon froze at the sound of Johnny's shock, turning with wide eyes before completely pulling off the shirt and turning back, bending to busy himself with a wet rag and bandages.
“What the hell happened, Simon?” Johnny quickly made his way over to help, the pain from his leg and shoulder still aching, but ignorable. Simon stepped away as Johnny approached, dodging his hand and all but sprinting to the door that led to a small bathroom.
“Simon, let me help!” Johnny caught the door before he could close it, struggling against the larger man's strength before a sharp pain in his shoulder forced him to give up, watching the door close with a slam.
“Why won’t you let me help you?” Johnny stayed pressed to the door, listening to the sounds of water running and then shuffling fabric and bandages. The door swung open after a few minutes and Simon stepped out in a fresh t-shirt and jeans. He stared at the smaller man for a moment, emotions flashing across his face before he spoke.
“Johnny I- I’m sorry. You should stay here a bit longer.” Simon pushed past him and began sorting through the jacket he had thrown onto the table when he had come in. Johnny followed closely behind, frustration rising.
“Is the wolf still looking for me?” Johnny asked. When Simon didn’t reply, he reached out and set a hand on the other man's wrist, stopping him as he pulled a closed pocket knife out from the jacket.
“Simon.” Johnny pulled on his arm, forcing the man to turn and look at him. He looked tired, a bruise blooming under his jaw and against his neck.
Johnny spoke again, slowly. “Simon, did the wolf attack you? Does it still want to kill me?”
Simon's gaze shifted, anywhere but to meet Johnny's eyes. He took a steadying breath before talking.
“Yes. He’s looking for you. The fact that I saved you- he- he’s not happy.”
Johnny felt panic rise in his chest as he realized what that could mean for his clan. Simon must have sensed something was wrong because he was gently pulling Johnny's hand away from his arm and leading him back to the couch.
“I’m really sorry Johnny I-” Johnny stopped halfway back to the couch, stopping Simon mid-sentence.
“Simon. I can’t stay here. My family- my clan-” Johnny started towards the door and Simon grabbed his injured shoulder, mumbling an apology as he hissed in pain and spun to face him.
“Thank you for saving me. Unfortunately, I have to go sacrifice myself anyway so that fucking monster doesn’t hunt down and eat my entire clan.” Johnny let the frustration roll off him as he broke out of Simon's grasp. He ignored the blond man's sputtering attempts to stop him, flinging open the door and dashing into the woods.
He ran as fast as his wounded body would take him. He wasn’t completely sure how far from the village he was, but he found himself at the river that should lead him there. Panting hard, he paused for a moment, propping himself against a tree. The cool air burned in his lungs and his leg was starting to complain very painfully about its condition. After a few minutes, he pushed himself up and took off back along the river.
By the time he saw the gate to the village, pain was ripping through his thigh. He burst through the unlocked gate, once again swinging it closed desperately behind him. A few faces turned towards him, then back to each other, muttering amongst themselves. He forced his tired body to make it to the house, his mother running up to him and pulling him into a hug.
“Johnny! Where were you? We’ve been worried sick looking for you, some of the boys have seen wolves and I was starting to think-” She broke off in a quiet sob, pulling him closer still. Johnny let himself fall against her, trying to catch his breath. He finally pulled away while she led him inside, making him sit as she worried over his leg and shoulder.
“Ma, the wolves- have they been here? Is everyone okay?” He grimaced as she started pulling the soiled bandages off of his thigh.
“No, not yet anyway. They’ve been getting too close for comfort. Seems they’ve been fighting near the lake. I was so scared that they killed you-” She focuses back on cleaning and rewrapping his leg before continuing.
“They found so much blood and fur but said only a bit of it looked like it was yours. This isn’t as bad as I was imagining, thankfully.” She motions to his injuries as she finishes adjusting the bandage securely.
“I’m sorry I worried you ma, there was this man that helped me, big lad that fought off the wolf then fixed me up at his cabin.” He smiles reassuringly as his mother's expressions shift.
“A human?” She questioned cautiously, standing and sitting in the chair next to him. Johnny nodded and leaned forward to hold her hands in his own, stopping her from fidgeting worriedly.
“He was nice, ma. He didn’t hurt me or anything. I would’ve been worse off if he hadn’t stepped in.” The words felt stale, he knew that Simon helping him had just created a worse situation for everyone, but he didn’t want to have to admit his wish for sacrificing himself to his dear mother. She smiled at his words and patted his knee before standing up.
“You go get some rest before we eat. But please, go clean your hooves before tracking more mud into the house.” She said with a small smile. He stands shakily, smiling in return before turning to go clean up. He wipes himself down with a rag, wetting his hair and combing through his mohawk quickly. It was getting long, but he figured he had more to worry about other than a haircut. He brushed through the hair he could reach on his legs too, untangling snarls and knots that had made a home in dark brown fur while he was staying at Simons.
Satisfied, he left the small bathroom and found himself curling up in his bed. The warmth and familiarity engulfed him and he dozed off within minutes.
—
Simon found himself following the faun through the woods. He stayed at a safe distance, praying Johnny wouldn’t sense him and call him out. He watched as Johnny disappeared past the gate, a sigh escaped him and he turned. Brown eyes met blue. Simon felt his hackles raise and he snarled as the other werewolf approached him. Simon knew it would be stupid to pick a fight so close to the clan's home, but he felt himself shifting as something protective stirred in his gut at the thought of Graves hurting the faun Simon had saved. The crack of bones was loud as the forest seemingly held its breath as Simon let himself change into his hulking wolf form, a growl building low in his throat as Graves took a step forward. Simon didn’t give the other time to react before he was launching himself at the other, gaping maw filled with sharp teeth latching into fur, a gnarled noise of surprise from the lighter-colored wolf as Simon hauled him farther away from the gates of the village. Claws dug into him as Graves struggled, finally tearing away as Simon lost his grip on the other. They attacked each other mercilessly. Simon let himself drift away, the feral wolf taking over completely. The smaller wolf landed a hit on his stomach, and Simon was vaguely aware of the warmth of blood seeping through his fur as he tried to pin the other down. Simon's moment of weakness came when there was a shout not too far off, he looked to see some fauns, armed and gawking at the wolves. Graves saw the opening and took it, sinking his teeth into the base of Simon's neck. He snarled in pain as he tried to pull away, feeling the wounds from his earlier meeting with Graves open along his torso. He shook Graves off, watching as an arrow whizzed past where he had just been, hitting Graves in the shoulder. Both wolves turned to stare at the fauns, one holding a bow nervously, grabbing the other, and backing up before running into the woods.
Simon turned back just in time to watch Graves’ tail disappear into the shade of the trees in a similar fashion. Simon cursed himself for letting the man get away, but the exhaustion seeping into his bones thanked god that the traitor had run off like a coward. He heard a shuffling to his left again. He turned and was met with a small army of fauns, weapons raised and pointed at him. Simon froze, eyes widening as he searched the crowd for Johnny. Not seeing him, he shrunk himself down, flattening his ears and hoping wolf submission translated to other species. The fauns paused, glancing at each other before one shouted.
“Kill it!” Simon took off before they could aim their weapons, running fast and hard in the direction of his cabin.