A/N: Hey guys! I know I really shouldn't be working on another story right now, but I'm naughty and this idea won't leave me. So, here you go!
I love Billy Burke, especially in this movie, and I thought he needed some love. I get so upset when people view him as the villain (although, I get angry when a lot of guys are labeled the villain, haha).
That reminds me; keep your eyes open for another story from me if you've watched the new Jumanji movie and thought the new and improved Russel Van Pelt was freaking attractive as hell! Like, daymn!
Do you like this story?
Do you hate it?
Do you wanna read a Van Pelt love story?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Elise groaned out an exasperated sigh as she pushed away yet another tree branch that poked at her face. "I still cannot believe you are sneaking out to go see Peter again," she called out with a roll of her eyes, flicking away the snow-covered sticks from her hair.
"I still can't believe you're helping me," Valerie mocked with a fluttering chuckle. She passed a glance over her shoulder, her golden locks of hair bouncing on her shoulders as she gave her best friend a wry smile.
Elise shot back her own playful glare. "Someone's gotta keep an eye out for you, kid," she retorted, ducking under a thick branch in the process.
Valerie turned to face the older brunette, walking backward as gracefully as she would straight on flat land. Elise never understood how Valerie could do that; float through the forest like a rustles leaf in the wind. A strange sort of elegance had always hung thickly around Valerie's thin shoulders whenever in the forest., and any blind man could see it. She moved as a slithering shadow in the sky; a biting chill on the breeze; a frozen whisper through the night. In all her years of chasing after Valerie through the dark forest of Daggerhorn, Elise had never once witnessed the young woman falter a step, and she was jealous in more ways than one. Valerie knew this as well as anyone, and she so showed it by doing little things to annoy her bumbling friend such as walking backward through the forest without gaining a single scratch, watching as Elise stumbled after like a newborn fawn in the night.
Without warning, Valerie did a quick side-step to her right, causing a sudden branch to throw itself directly in the path of Elise. With no time to react, the branch slapped against Elise's face with a harsh 'Smack!'. Elise yelped, more out of shock than actual pain, and cradled her now stinging cheek with the palm of her hand. Valerie chuckled, "I think it's you needing someone to look after you."
Elise glared at her joyful friend, but her fierce look did not last long as she had stepped on a frozen, ice-ridden rock. Her small hands, gloved within blue-stained leather, groped at the trees and thicker branches as she steadied herself from falling, which very nearly resulted in yet another stumble as she gripped a particularly icy branch. The sudden scare of almost falling this time caused her to squeak out in alarm and she flailed her arms about. Valerie laughed harder, her large blue eyes squeezing shut as she did so. She failed to see the wicked grin forming upon Elise's rosy lips.
Elise gathered up the snow along a slippery branch into a pile within her fist and packed it into a tight ball. Most of the snow had been knocked off by her, but there was still enough to make a decently sized snowball. Once she had gathered as much snow as she could from the single branch, she reared back her arm and chucked the powdery frozen water. It soared through the air quickly and splattered against the exposed flesh of Valerie's chest in an explosion of wet ice and snow droplets. Valerie's laughter was cut short by her own squeak of surprise as the cold snow melted against her hot flesh, and she looked up in bewilderment as her best friend started up her own laughter. "Don't mess with the wolf, Val, or you'll get bit by the snowballs," Elise sung and made imaginary claws with her fingers.
Valerie rose an eyebrow at the brunette. "Really? A wolf joke?" she questioned as she brushed away the quickly melting water from her dress.
There was a guardian that watched over the sleepy village of Daggerhorn. It wasn't a Heaven-sent guardian created by God to protect His people. No, this guardian was a monster; a demon spawn created from the very ashes of Lucifer's Hellfires. It stood nearly seven feet tall with fur the color of death; its teeth were as large as the King's swords and sharper than a serpent's fang; it wore the skin of mothers so as to feast upon infants. It served no higher purpose other than to murder, ravage, and torment the helpless citizens of Daggerhorn, and it had done so for over two generations. Or so, this is what their elders had told them.
The entire village lived in fear of this dreaded skin-changer known as a werewolf. Well, everyone, that was, besides Elise.
Elise was an unwed woman of thirty-two. She was born and raised in Daggerhorn, lived alone with no other living family members within the village, and worked a simple job as the town's nursemaid. Because of her job, she had a very close bond with many of the village children, and she had heard her fair share of terrifying legends from the little ones. Yet, she simply did not believe the ones about the Big Bad Wolf of Daggerhorn.
Yes, there was a werewolf, everyone knew that. However, Elise couldn't help but laugh at some of the things said about the creature. She had been alive for over three decades and the wolf had never stolen a babe from its crib. Never had the beast ripped children from their mother's breast, or wore a man's skin simply to trick his friends. The worst thing it had ever done was take their best livestock every full moon. Yes, there was a werewolf in Daggerhorn, but his abilities must have been exaggerated; at least, to an extent.
The legends and stories were all such a queer and funny thought to her that Elise couldn't help herself from making jokes about it now and then. To most, it made them anxious and jittery. To her friends, it faintly annoyed them. Valerie shook her head with a roll of her eyes and said, "common, El. If you were any slower it'd be nightfall by the time we got there." Elise huffed out in mock offense and tossed a few melted sprinkles of snow Valerie's way, but did not protest any further. Besides, Valerie wasn't the only one aiming to surprise someone.
As the two women trekked through the ankle-high mounds of snow, the trees began to change and the foliage less dense. The trunks grew in length and width, and their branches turned to long, sharp needles. The trees stretched high up into the sky, their gangling arms reaching for the freedom of the sun. Elise smiled up at splotches of blue that peeked through the thick branches, feeling somewhat free herself.
It wasn't a long walk from where the trees changed. Within only a few minutes, they had reached a small camp within a snowy clearing. The snow had been trampled by a multitude of people, and the girls knew exactly who had made them. "Come on," Valerie urged, following the footsteps deeper into the woods. "It's almost noon!"
The two followed the well-used path until the sound of loud voices and laughter drifted through the wind. The two women rushed into the brush, giggling quietly among themselves. They crept around the bushes and hid in the shadows of the trees, beaming grins on their lips and sparkles in their eyes as they did so. They arrived in yet another clearing, this one filled with men with axes. The men were from the village and the girls knew them all well. They were the woodcutters and pelt traders of the village, and the fathers and brothers of many of their friends.
The men were packing up and readying to head back to the campsite for lunch. Valerie and Elise passed a knowing smirk, then Valerie slipped away from Elise, her target already in sight. Elise rolled her eyes at Valerie. She had run off to find Peter. Those two had been in love for as long as Elise could remember, and it was obvious to everyone who cared to see.
As the men packed up their things and settled their axes into broken stumps, she spotted someone familiar. He was standing by a freshly cut stump further away from the group, but no one seemed to notice his absence. A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips.
She untied her blue cloak and let it drop silently to the snow-covered ground, not wanting it to get caught on a branch and give her away. She crept towards the lone man, taking extra care not to alert him to her presence. When she got closer, she decided to take cover in the brush instead of behind the trees. Maybe then, if she were to make a sound, he would think her to be some critter rummaging through the brush for grubs and nuts.
The man ran a hand through his un-kept dark brown hair and plopped down onto the stump, clearly worn from the hard day's work. His head suddenly perked up. Thinking he had heard her, Elise froze. He looked around the area, scanning to see if anyone was near him. Elise would have thought he could hear her heart thundering from within her chest. However, he gave a look of satisfaction at not seeing anyone paying him any mind and he pulled out a flask from inside his coat pocket. He unscrewed the top with his thumb and threw his head back as he took a large gulp of what she knew was alcohol. She almost laughed at the sight; 'Typical Cesaire.'
The thicket was thick with briers and thorns and tangles of vines and dead leaves, and she was proud of herself for the hiding spot. The thickly pack foliage would surely keep her hidden from the ever watchful eyes of Cesaire. Getting a little cocky, she forgot to look where she was stepping. A misplaced foot stepped down onto a thick twig, causing a loud snap. She gasped and ducked down as close to the ground as she could, praying he hadn't heard her.
Her heart was drumming with adrenaline and puffs of smoke escaped her parted lips in short gusts. Her ears were trained on whether or not he had caught on to her, but the only sound she could hear was the laughing voices of the other men.
She peeked through the branches and saw him; still sitting on the stump and taking another gulp of whiskey. She smiled; he hadn't heard her.
She began gathering up snow within her small hands, making yet another snowball. Once she had a decent sized one, significantly bigger than the one she had thrown at Valerie, she readied herself for the attack. She gripped the snowball and counted to three, feeling a surge of excitement as she did so, and with one quick movement she bounced up from her hiding and reared back her arm. She stopped, her smile dropping from her lips.
He was gone. The stump was completely bare, the only sign anyone was ever there being his footprints. Her brow scrunched in confusion, her raised arm lowering as her eyes scanned for her long-time friend. Just as she was about to call out for him, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.
She was pulled tightly against the strong chest of a man so quickly that she didn't have enough time to even be surprised. The man pressed his face against hers, the rough stubble of his chin scratched along her soft cheek, and she felt his mouth curl into a grin.
His lips grazed the shell of her ear, his hot breath was beating down on her neck, and small, electric shivers were racing down her spine. If he hadn't of been holding her as tightly against his body as he was, she would have been shivering, and it would not have been from the cold. "Looking for me?" his rough, gravelly voice cooed in her ear.
Suddenly, the radiating heat from the man was gone, replaced by a mound of frozen water smashed against her chest. She pushed herself away from him with a startled yelp, frantically brushing away the melting snow as it dripped down the front of her dress. "Cesaire!" she yelled at the man, irritation clear in her voice. Cesaire only chuckled in his usual deep, gruff tone.
Elise huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "What gave me away this time?"
"Ah, well, you know," he said as he unscrewed his flask. "A wizard never reveals his secrets," he winked and took a gulp of the whiskey.
Elise and Cesaire had been friends since childhood. True, he was a few years her senior, but they held a lot in common with the other, which always kept them close. One thing Elise and Cesaire had in common was their mockery of witchery and legends and other things used to scare little children.
"Fine, Mr. Lone Wolf, be that way. I'll just have to put you in your place next time."
"How many times have you said that now? This the hundred thousandth?" She glared at the man, not amused with his jesting. Cesaire felt the painful sting of her glare and knew that he had crossed the line. He pulled out her cloak from his pocket and handed it to her, his lips flattening sheepishly as his eyes met anything that wasn't her own. Cesaire had grown this habit over the years; it was his little way of showing he knew he had done something wrong. Or at least, something he was trying to not get in trouble for.
Elise hid her growing smile as she took her cloak back from him. She wanted him to feel bad, and she played dirty in getting him to be so. She even went as far as puckering out her bottom lip.
Cesaire saw this. Without hesitation, he reached out and gripped her chin gently within his harsh, calloused finger and thumb, moving her head up slightly. His deep brown eyes finally met her blue ones, captivating her own within a deadly game she knew she could not win. "Don't be mad," he whispered, the corner of his lips tugging into his signature lop-sided grin.
"I won't be. Unless," she whispered back, her voice quiet and soft like a breeze in autumn. "Tell me how you keep catching me."
He leaned in closer, so close that she could feel his breath against her lips, and he said to her, his voice so low, "not on your life." With that, he tapped the side of her face lightly, then began walking back towards the stump.
Elise shrugged indifferently and sighed in mock-disappointment. "Oh well, worth a shot," and she followed after him, shimmying into her cloak in the process. She plopped down onto the stump next to him in a very unladylike fashion and snatched his flask from his fingers. She threw her head back and gulped down the whiskey, the liquid burning the inside of her throat and making her stomach a pit of burning coals. She shivered and winced at the strong taste. "Wow," she breathed out. "That's not from the market. Where'd you get this?"
He reached over and took the flask back from her and took his own sip. "I made it. It's stronger."
"Yeah, no kidding," she grimaced.
He laughed and gulped down another larger-than-needed swig. He shivered much like she had, but it didn't seem to faze him much besides that. She gave him a strange look, to which he only smirked. "I like it."
"You would," she over exaggerated a roll of her eyes. He nudged her with his shoulder and she laughed. Then, the two settled into a comfortable silence. There was no sound other than the bird's songs and the squirrel's chattering. The forest was peaceful, Elise thought, when she wasn't bumbling around like a fool. She loved to sit back and watch nature; only, nature didn't always seem to love her back. Very unlike Valerie and her father, Cesaire.
Elise sighed and leaned against her old friend, stealing another swig of his homemade whiskey in the process. She was so caught up within her own thoughts, that she didn't even realize she was speaking until it was too late. "Wanna run away with me?" He scoffed at the thought and took back his flask.
"Run away?" he questioned, brow raised.
"Why not? It could be fun. Besides, I'm getting bored here."
He barked out a harsh laugh. "You're boredom is gonna get you killed, Eli."
Eli. That was her mother's name. She had died giving birth to Elise's sister, who also did not make it through that night. The nickname Eli was very dear to Elise, and she only ever let two people call her by it. The first person had been her father; a blacksmith who had died during a particularly cruel winter. When he passed on, he had left Elise entirely alone in the world - most families wouldn't think twice about leaving a fifteen-year-old girl to starve when they could hardly feed themselves. Elise would have died alongside her father if it wasn't for Cesaire and his mother. Cesaire's father had died earlier that same winter. His mother used this as the reason for taking Elise in, seeing as there was food to spare, but she knew the kind old woman would have taken her in anyway.
That winter was a tough one to survive for the people of Daggerhorn, and Elise wouldn't have if it weren't for Cesaire. His mother kept her body alive, yet he had helped her to survive so much more than simple hunger. He had helped her through the loss of her father, and she did the same for him. That winter she lost the one person to ever call her Eli, but by the end of it, she had gained another; Cesaire.
She smiled and hummed softly. "As long as I'm out of Daggerhorn, I don't mind." It had grown silent again, but she knew he wanted to say more. He always played with the cap of his flask when he wanted to say something.
Finally, he spoke softly, "where would we go?"
"I'm not picky- you choose."
"The city."
She turned her head to look up at him, a curiosity playing on her face. "That was quick. Why the city?"
He shrugged like it was not a big deal, but she knew better. And he knew that he could not keep his mouth shut now that he had opened it; at least, not with her. "I want to make a better life for me and my girls. I want to give them the life they deserve; not what I can give them here. Then, after some time and we have enough money, we'll see where the road takes us."
"Your girls are lucky to have you," she commented, settling her head back on his shoulder. "I'd like that." Now it was his turn to urge her on with his own intense look. She couldn't stop her beaming, toothy grin from showing as she told him her dreams; something she hadn't been able to do in a very long time. "I'd like to just leave and see where I'll end up. Meet new people, see new places – that all seems so wonderful to me. If I could, I'd never stop. I'd walk and walk forever. I'd walk around the entire world as long as it meant I was... was..." she trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Free," Cesaire breathed.
She looked up at his face again; the handsome, serene face that she loved. "Yes, free..." He turned and met her gaze. They sat face-to-face, shoulder-to-shoulder, closer than they had been in a while. His eyes flickered down, then back to meet hers, and it took her a second to realize he had glanced at her lips. 'Would he?' she asked herself. He leaned in closer. 'Could he?'
Then, there was a horn. A loud, rumbling blast that rang through the entire forest. Her brow scrunched in confusion, then rose with horror. "The wolf's attacked."