Title: Never Stray From the Path

Rating: M

Pairings: SebastianxCiel, ClaudexAlois, maybe others.

Description: Ciel was told never to stray from the past, but he is compelled to enter the forest and find out what had happened to the boy draped in the red cloak. What he finds is not only the truth, but a journey filled with loss, love, and his own 'wolves' that won't ever escape him.

Warnings: None this chapter :)

Author's Note: Thank you so much for clicking on this! This is my FIRST Black Butler story, and I made a new user since I wanted a fresh new start. :) I know the start might be a bit boring, but I promise it will pick up very soon.

Sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes. I have no beta. :c I need a beta. XD

I do not own Black Butler :c

CHAPTER ONE:

the p a t h . . .

If it was one thing that Ciel should never do, it was to stray off the path. It was the path Ciel had to take in order to make it to his uncle's house, a house that laid beyond the town's limit. Although to many, it seemed very alluring to just take a peek, but Ciel had no problem with wanting to obey the one single rule his parents had given him.

One foot off the path, and it was over.

Many had ventured into the woods that stood so silently to the sides, and many have never seen the light of day again or of the village of Faustus. The path was a curse that caused so many to abandon their humble homes and travel elsewhere, anywhere without a path like this one.

The Phantomhives are one of the last families to stay in the village of Faustus. This was mostly due to the fact of Rachel's love of the house, and Vincent's reluctance to move to a city. The couple didn't mind the overwhelming privacy nor the horror of the woods that surrounds them. It made for an interesting and paranoid life

The path that had been the downfall for some was a path bathed in sunlight. The grass implanted on the sides blew with the gentle wind. The path had appeared normal, except for the woods that started three feet from the edge, so thick it was impossible to see more then 100 feet on a good day.

It was a wonder why any child or villager choose to venture into the deep dark woods. Some suggested it displayed their moral truth and darkness of heart, and others were convinced that the devil had tricked them into its trap. A trap that worked very well, considering it was a path that one could not avoid if they wanted to get somewhere.

There were many theories of what exactly happened in that forest once you went inside. One farmer suggested that it showed you your greatest fear, and once you went in, it was nearly impossible to get back to the path, that it blew away with the wind, and you were stuck alone with your fears until you went mad.

A mother of two had a theory that there was a pack of werewolves in the forest, who preyed on little children who dared to walk alone, or naive villages who believed they were invincible. This theory was disregarded as silly. Who could ever believe in werewolves?

But, there was no way to know what could have happened. Maybe one of these theories are true, because who would go search for the answers?

Nobody ever made a move to search the forest, not after the first time a search party was sent.

The first search party to ever enter the forest was the last, and it occurred after the very first victim was declared, which happened 2 years after the town had been first created, after the land was claimed from another town. Most of the land had never put it into any use because, at the time, it was difficult to get funds to clear the land of trees and create houses. Once some of the land was cleared, many settled into the area, although the forest was still the majority of Faustus.

The search party was said to have kept records of what exactly was found, but after years and years of the entire village being scared of the woods, it had disappeared with the moving legacies.

The older villagers, who had grown up with their parents caution and warnings, swore that the records mentioned many strange things.

It was said that old strange trinkets littered the ground from children that may have once played there, rundown decrypted cars with no tires, tents with holes torn on the top, and reports of shadows that danced around, like there was something waiting in the forest for them.

Three of the party members did not come back.

But perhaps it was fate that had not been so kind to that town. The first victim had been as shocking as the last victim, all of them had been so young and naive. It was a scornful curse. The town became a place of gloom and doom, and all those who had children had begun to move.

The Phantomhives were a rare breed. The couple was not as bothered by the woods compared to their past neighbors, but they had always been weary of the safety their only child, a boy by the name of Ciel.

Now Ciel was a bright boy with a booming amount of potential, but he was rather weak and un-trusting of those around him, which was a good trait to have when one is faced with the temptation of the woods. Ciel was probably one of the safer cases around the town.

Ciel had faced the path, and it had been merciful, but who could say when nobody knew exactly what happened?

Ciel had been blinded and hurt during a day where he only remembered how grey it had been. The rest blurred into his head like the smoke from fire into the deep dark night, but he remembered it was like the absence of all color, but one, grey. Whether or not it had because of the ultimate shock of being badly injured was up to speculation.

That day he had been escorted through the path when an accident had happened.

The man who had helped him through that sunny path had been injured too, but not quite like Ciel who had a permanent blind eye and a limp. The body of his possible savior had never been recovered, but Ciel had been the least effected by the loss of the worker, not even his name graced his head anymore.

Some villagers had criticized that it probably had been their servant that had attacked the boy and escaped through the forest, but Rachel and Vincent had fought against that claim.

'He had been a good man' Vincent would promise 'A very good man, indeed'.

But no memory of the man was given to Ciel. The only moment he clearly remembered on that day had been the moment he had appeared, alone, at the door to his Uncle's house, and the absence of color, That memory would never leave his head.

It was like the world had stopped and dulled.

It was no wonder that Ciel had become less of a child and more of a forced adult, a sad thought that kept his parents from ever punishing the boy whenever he had done wrong.

It was Ciel who was left to his own devices and managed to grow into a moderately healthy 12 year old. Although most would think a child would have been utterly destroyed by that event, Ciel had only the bitter aftertaste of the situation. Since he had no recollection of the event, the worst thing he had to deal with is the fact that he was blind and had a limp.

Perhaps if he had been in a regular school with boys and girls Ciel might have been ostracized, but in the middle of nowhere he was the pride and joy of Rachel, Vincent, and of all the workers in their large abode. Life was okay. It was normal for the young boy.

Everyday Vincent went out to the city for his job, Rachel puttered around the garden and sometimes even ventured with her husband in order to shop, and the servants spent their day with the child. Everyday was a bit like the last.

Meyrin was a oddly clumsy maid, Finny was a lively gardener, and Tanaka was a old, but friendly, butler who handled very little in the house, but Ciel was content with his 'friends' (Their words, not Ciel's). Some days Ciel would help his mother out with the watering of the flowers, and other days he read books and wrote stories about things that interested him. Ciel also liked to stroll around the house, playing games with the servants if there were free from any chores.

Ciel hated to admit it, but the games he played were rather enjoyable, even the juvenile game of Hide and Seek. Ciel also found the best hiding spots. Nobody ever bothered to look in the far corner of the servant quarters, as the room that hadn't been used in years. The dust that collected over that time had been suffocating, but Ciel couldn't help but feel safe in that quiet living space. It was his favorite room.

Today was not like those other days though, today was the first day Ciel had been given an assignment. Take the first aid supplies to his Uncle, as he was sick. His Aunt, Madam Red, was waiting for his arrival and staying with his uncle temporarily to see that he was getting better. The old geezer was bordering on insane.

Although he didn't quite enjoy his uncle, he was more then willing to run the supplies down. Ciel never got to get out. The only place he went was to the gardens, but beyond that was a rarity. Ciel hated the town, and the city. The people would only stare at his shame, his blind eye and his leg brace. The path was the only option, and today he would get to breathe in new air.

Ciel had not traveled this path since that faithful day, but the thought of taking it again had not bothered the young soul. He would show his parents that he was not tainted by it, and that he could do what any normal boy his age could.

As the morning light set out, Ciel had dressed in his best attire, blues of the bluest, and golds that laced around his shirts and pants, and he looked marvelous. Good enough to eat.

Just like the others.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Feel free to suggest stuff

I would love your feedback, just don't be too harsh, haha

I hope to update really soon.

- The Redd Cloak