Chapter 8: If Misfortune Be Our Lot

Warnings: See Chapter 1.

X

Arthur was ready. He had spent nearly the whole winter preparing for the spring when he would finally trap what he was sure was the Devil. It had been a while since he had gone out and brought something back alive. Fortunately he was good friends with one of the curators of the queen's private menagerie so when he began to stockpile various tools for capture and heavily research the best kinds of sedatives to use on big game no one paid him any mind. It was one thing to be able to kill something but it was another thing entirely to bring it back alive and well. He even insisted that his unruly luggage was packed into his cabin on the ship over at the earliest convenience.

It was literally the first ship to venture to the Safari Zone to see if the town made it through the winter. Many of the lower class passengers were the people that helped run the small village or the large opulent hotel. There were a few eager hunters – mostly locals from the Empire that could afford to be on the very first ship out and wanted to get a leg up on the competition before all the game disappeared. Arthur was sure that the creature he was after would be around this early – lulled into a false sense of security with relatively no one present to impede its way of life. Arthur also was determined to stop the wave of killings this year. The Devil had to be tied to it somehow. It was the only logical explanation for the spike in death every early spring and late fall. The migration of the perverse would end soon.

X

Landfall was a rather cumbersome affair. Some of the crew were new hands to docking in the area and with no one on shore to aid the process the boat rammed its sides in the docking slot several times before the crew could get their act together.

Arthur left very clear instructions with the quartermaster and the majordomo of the hotel about the handling of his luggage and then set off with the bare necessities – rope, large net, specialized weaponry, and enough tranquilizing material to take down a heard of elephants.

X

The moment he broke from the town line he significantly slowed his pace so that he could effectively mask his trail. He covered himself in mud and used tree sap to hide the scent he had acquired while on the ship. By the time he was finished preparing his body for the stake out his formerly vibrant clothing was a myriad of drab nature colors. No more shiny buttons, no more polished shoes, no more clean face and hair. It was a small price to pay for what Arthur hoped would be success on this venture.

Inch by careful inch Arthur moved through the underbrush. Slowly, cautiously he picked his way around obstacles following the natural pathways of the land so he did not disturb the environment. He wound his way around the countryside looking for any signs that his quarry was in fact present in the area.

He found only two things that gave him hope. The first was an apple tree – Arthur knew that this was an early season variety and should be bursting with fruit. Instead Arthur could see clear twist marks all over the branches where the ripe produce had been pulled off but the unripe fruit left to continue to mature. On the tree there were a few that were nearly ready to be picked. This was a good sign for his hunt. The second was the remains of a relatively fresh kill. Your average animal would not nearly have been as precise in stripping the bones of all edible things. Combined with the lack of clear predator teeth marks Arthur dared to hope that this was another sign the creature was in the area.

The moment Arthur made it to the metaphorical boarder of the suspected inhabited area of the creature he paused and ensured that he had his arms at the ready. One slip up and he could ruin his chance at capture.

The moment he entered in to the sanctuary he knew he was in luck. The beast did nothing to hide the faint traces of habitation all around the area. Arthur could tell which bushes had been pruned to enhance food production, where the leaves from the fall had been cleared away to make room for new life blossoming from the soil, and which of the temporary dens had been slept in recently.

It was exciting to know just how close he was to the Devil.

Checking his pride lest he make a mistake and foul up his chances, Arthur stopped internally crowing over each new mark of habitation and focused back in on leaving no trail or other signs of his encroachment in the sanctuary. He was doing so remarkably well that even the flocks of wild fowl and young fauns did not stir at his presence as he inched his way toward the main den.

He approached the entrance with caution, unsure if the creature was inside or not. He was disappointed to find that the leaf cover appeared to be relatively undisturbed – as if the creature had not been to its den in a long while. Undeterred Arthur began to set his traps. He worked frantically to ensure that each angle of approach was covered and after a solid hour of fretting over being caught in the act Arthur managed to finish.

When he drew back from the entrance of the cave Arthur knew that he would win this game. His traps were undetectable from the surrounding environment – as long as the winds kept down, his handiwork would not be exposed anytime soon.

Content with his progress Arthur sequestered himself in an unused hollow of a nearby tree. It was a cramped fit with all of his weapons and extra supplies should the creature need more then just the net to be trussed up but at least Arthur was fairly confident that the Devil did not use this hollow for anything. It didn't matter how long it would take. Arthur would sit and wait.

One day went by and nothing changed.

Another day went by and nothing changed.

A third day went by and a doe nearly set off his traps around lunch but still nothing changed.

As much as Arthur now hated the hollow of his self imposed exile and eating semi-solid mush for food and the indignity of relieving himself in scent proof containers to ensure he stayed hidden, he knew that he was going to achieve victory sooner or later.

As luck would have on the fourth day Arthur met his prey.

It was mid-morning on a beautiful spring day. Arthur had been staring at the same spot for much too long and was only really half awake – he'd prefer to think of it as letting his senses wander but it was hard to be on full alert the whole day waiting for an unknown something that might never appear. He was roused from his sate by the bushes to the left of his hiding place rustling. Unsure if this was the big event or another scare like before with the deer Arthur readied himself for action.

Arthur bit back a groan when a doe and faun sauntered in to view. He was confident that they would not notice him but he made doubly sure to mask his breathing and move as little as possible should they spook and maybe give away his position.

Then he heard more rustling.

It wasn't caused by the deer – they were out in the open and slowly getting closer and closer to where Arthur was hiding. No, this rustling was coming from somewhere else. It drove Arthur mad that he could not see where exactly it was coming from for fear of moving and spooking the deer. Arthur tried to crane his neck around without moving anything else to try to get the two deer out of his line of sight but it was no good. Instead the deer just moved closer to his hollow and obscured just about everything of relevance. Arthur's only hope now was that the trap would spring by what he wanted it to be sprung by and not something else.

Arthur's other senses were on high alert with his sight so diminished. He did not care for the spots on the faun's coat or the long eyelashes of the doe but instead focused on the soft sounds of the crunch of leaves – the ones Arthur knew were littered all over the clearing but mostly concentrated in the large gulch just before the cave entrance and his trap. Whatever it was, the deer were completely unconcerned and Arthur could only pray that it was because his predator was not hungry and it was not just another overly curious animal heading to inspect the cave. Arthur's ears strained as he tried to separate the sounds of the deer in front of him from the sounds that the unseen creature was making. He gripped the gun closer to himself and readied to spring like a coil if the need arose.

The sounds from the unseen creature were very faint. If Arthur's gut wasn't telling him that this could be it, he'd maybe even blame the soft sound of leaves on the wind. But this was not rustling – it was crunching – Arthur was sure. And whatever it was, no matter how cautious it was, Arthur could tell that it sounded a lot sturdier than the deer in front of him.

Then a branch cracked.

Arthur heard the whooshing sound of his trap getting set off.

And a scream.

An unholy sound of pure rage and fear that had Arthur wanting to curl into himself to get away from whatever it was that made that noise.

The sound had startled the deer and Arthur just barely caught one last sight of their white tails when he burst forth from his hiding spot and let off a round of shots at the writhing mass in the heavy netting of his trap.

Even with the trap swinging wildly from the momentum of the squirming from the captured creature, one of Arthur's darts hit home and the quiet forest was again filled with a shrill shout of agony. Now, despite the rapid-acting sedative coursing through the creature's body Arthur was quite impressed at how it still managed to fight the drowsiness and press against the confines of the net and debris that had shielded the trap from view. Even as Arthur quickly scrambled the short ways down to the edge of the depression the other's movements had only just begun to turn sluggish.

Arthur was still too far away to get a good look at whatever it was stuck in the trap with all the leaves and sticks that had been used to camouflage the trap in the first place. Instead he concentrated on safely making it down the depression and back up the inclined that led to the cave entrance where the captured beast was.

When he finally managed to leaver his body onto the small plateau by the entrance Arthur could hear the growling. It was soft and low but promised death. The deep rumbles made the hair on Arthur's arms and the back of his neck stand on end but it did not stop him from getting his first clear look at the thing he had managed to catch.

It was roughly human sized. It was still struggling and occasionally Arthur would catch the flash of long blackened claws trying to lash out at the netting. Still, the leaves were in the way too much. They had to go.

Using the utmost caution Arthur crept toward the suspended, still slightly wriggly, mass. He gently reached out and started plucking the leaves from the netting one by one. Slowly a form began to take shape.

To Arthur's growing horror what he originally thought were long blackened claws were actually just extremely filthy hands with sharp nails. The leaves were much more quick to come away after that and by the time all of the debris had been removed from the net Arthur could do nothing but stare in utter horror at the man – the human man – that he had captured and darted. The man still wreathed about in the net but nearly all of his motor functions were shot. But it wasn't the occasionally thrashing limbs that drew Arthur's gaze but rather the scars all over his body. Arthur had no choice but to notice them because the man was clothed in little more then raggedy, too-tight fitting breeches. As the momentum from the detainee slowly turned the suspended net around Arthur came face to face with a skull was tangled into his hair. It gave him the creeps but it did not stop him from wanting to see the face of this man so far lost to the civilized world.

Carefully Arthur grabbed hold of the net in a place where he could avoid feet and hands trying to jab out from the net and he spun the trap around so he could see the face of this depraved person.

The sight of the man's face stole Arthur's breath away.

The man was still in the throes of youth. Despite the well-formed nature of his body, his face still held the rounded traces of baby fat that not even a harsh life could erase so easily. Because of the drug's coursing through the man's system his brilliant blue eyes were dull and unfocused but they still trained on Arthur and even through the fog he could see the hate and death that the gaze held for him. The presence of the skull in his hair did nothing to improve the mood. If the crazy drugged eyes weren't looking at Arthur then the dead sockets of the departed were.

Even in defeat the captured man was still fighting to escape – his muscles twitched frantically although they would only occasionally get a response from the drug-laden infrastructure. He was also trying to gnaw through the net. It wasn't working to well with the lack of muscle coordination and all of the drool caused by the drugs but it was still an active enough attempt that had left the captured man's face bleeding in parts from rubbing on the ropes too hard.

The whole thing was truly horrible.

It wasn't as if Arthur hadn't seen people down and out on their luck. He'd traveled the world and seen the worst of it you could see – from the urchin children to the last vestiges of slavery that the modern world permitted by avoiding the subject – he'd seen people on their last legs, dead and dying and no longer caring about anything. He'd seen people with nothing fight for something and die for ideals. But never in all of his years had he ever seen something so brutal and twisted as the man before him. This man, this wild man, would think nothing of making Arthur dead like all of the slaughtered others who crossed his path.

No man ever lasted long in the Safari Zone away from civilization. Yet here was a body who'd done it – somehow survived it all … alone, probably from a very young age. The world had dealt this man nothing but cruelty – Arthur would not be the one to deal the final blow. Sure the death surrounding the Devil was substantial. But it didn't make it right to end him if he didn't know any better – if he'd never been taught any different.

Arthur knew in that moment exactly what he would do. He would take this wild man back to the heart of the Empire, to his home in London. There he could give the care this unfortunate deserved and show him that there were other ways to live then killing. He knew there must be a rational man inside of the monster before him – he needed to save the man that had, with such care, tended the land in this sanctuary away from everything yet in the heart of everything. He would strip away the wildness before him and hopefully find what drove the other to these extremes. Only then would he be able to prevent others from becoming just like the one before him.

It would be a difficult process but Arthur knew that in the end it would be worth it. He just had to get the other the fairly short way into town and then he could get the man all the aid he could ever need when back in real society.

Mindful of the sharp nails and dangerous teeth Arthur went about securing his captive for the travel home.

X

Ivan was furious.

Furious and worried.

He'd been dilly-dallying in the Safari Zone waiting for Alfred. He'd been trying to track the other but nothing here seemed to come up and it was maddening. He wanted – well, he didn't want to admit what he wanted but with Alfred not here it didn't matter what he was thinking or planning. He needed to find the other or he would simply go mad.

Out of frustration he decided to go and see if the wayward Zoner had seen his precious companion. He did not want to see Matthew ever again after their talk last season but if Alfred was hurt and there Ivan needed to know – if Alfred wasn't there he would grill the other until he cried … that would make Ivan feel a little better at least; Alfred and Matthew did look so much alike at times.

With grim determination he set off – finally with a direction in mind.

If Alfred was just playing a game with him there would be hell to pay. If Alfred was not paying a game with him there would still be hell to pay.

X

Ivan cared nothing for the small woodland creatures he scared as he stomped through the forest.

He was so incensed that he kept course the whole night and finally reached the grassy clearing of small cabin by midday. As he rounded the house he could hear some light but heavy swearing coming from around the backside of the cabin.

Ignoring that Matthew was outside Ivan barged into the cabin and searched the whole place for any signs of Alfred. He found small vignettes of domesticity everywhere but no Alfred at all. Recalling how Matthew had once brought Alfred outside for fresh hair during one of his past healings Ivan decided to go interrogate Matthew.

Turns out Matthew was attempting to cut wood. Ivan watched in puzzlement as Matthew would swing the axe but never with great accuracy. He stumbled over little things and kept rubbing at his eyes.

"What is wrong with you comrade?" said Ivan.

Matthew spun around with a startled cry, brandishing the axe as if it were his only savior against the unknown.

"Ivan is that you?" said Matthew.

"Yes it is," Ivan said. "How many other Russians do you know all the way out here in the Safari Zone?"

Matthew gave a wry smile at that and lowered the axe. With a clear view of the other Ivan could tell right off why Matthew was behaving oddly and asking stupid questions.

"What happened to your glasses?" said Ivan.

Matthew shot him an unamused glare. "Alfred took them," he said. "He always does this to me but normally he brings them back by now. It's like our spring game or something – it's almost always the last time I see him until the first tendrils of winter set in. Suppose that's probably because you show up around now and you two go adventuring."

Ivan frowned at Matthew's description of his friendly relationship with Alfred. Had he not told the other not to get close? And here they were playing games?

As if Matthew could sense the direction Ivan's thoughts had turned he continued, "Don't give me that look (not that I can really see it) – I don't actually see him, or when I do it's a goddamn miracle because I nearly always miss him creeping on me. It's just that feeling you get when he's watching you – stalking you. It's almost like he checks on me to make sure I'm alright or something … like how any normal person would if another could help them in a tight snap. I'm like his life insurance policy or something. You don't want to deal with it, you don't want to talk to it, but you occasionally check in on it to make sure it's there."

The pair stood awkwardly in silence of a few moments before Matthew started up again.

"Your looking for him which makes me worried," said Matthew. Ivan said nothing in return. "I had tried to find him to get my glasses back but just getting to town on my own proved challenging enough."

"I see," said Ivan. He was still lost in his mind processing all of the information that Matthew had given him. A heavy pit had settled itself in Ivan's stomach. With every new thought given to the situation a cold dread slowly filled him up. He knew that Alfred was a creature of patterns and habits – that he had broken the mold and left, as Matthew put it, his "life insurance" in trouble by not returning Matthew's glasses, something was definitely wrong. Alfred was somewhere and he was not all right (if he wasn't already dead yet).

"I can show you some of the places he normally creeps on me if you want," said Matthew suddenly. Ivan's head jerked up at that (he hadn't even registered that he'd been looking at his feet the whole time). "Err, rather, if you make sure I don't get eaten by bears or fall into a hole or something, we can go to those spots together. You're a good enough tracker maybe you can pick something up."

"Very well then, we will depart immediately," said Ivan.

"Let me grab my pack," Matthew said. Ivan watched Matthew quickly bring the axe inside – he hushed a chuckle when the other misjudged the distance to the door handle and partially face planted into the house. This would be even worse then when he and Alfred were kids. But if Matthew could show him Alfred's special hiding spots they might be able to get a traceable path going so in the end it was worth it.

Ivan was glad to see Matthew learned from his mistake when he rushed out of the building and up to Ivan. The other was now wearing more travel ready clothes and Ivan would guess the pack on his back had all necessary essentials. Mathew wasn't stupid having lived out in the Safari Zone for many years and Ivan was glad to see that the other was at least putting on a game face despite not being able to see well.

"What are your limitations?" said Ivan as they entered into the thicket.

"I can see well far away just fine – it's just a matter of remembering the little details by the time I finally get there," said Matthew. "I'd say 20 yards extreme problem zone, 60 yards mediocre and beyond that fairly average in comparison."

"You had better hope Alfred has your glasses or you wont last through the season here."

"Oh I'm getting some new ones shipped to me," said Matthew. "It honestly wouldn't be such a problem but I just now noticed he nicked all the old pairs I've got stockpiled too. If we find his den I can just use those just fine."

"His den?"

"Sure. Alfred's got to keep his hoard someplace. I've never found it but I've got a pretty good idea where it is."

"And why have you not confirmed this?" Ivan said.

"This coming from Mr. Stay-Away-From-My-Beau? That's rich."

"I know you do not care about that," said Ivan. "You still play these games with him like I told you not to. I don't know where his den is so I would not be able to tell that you had been there."

"Crap. I keep forgetting your sordid forays into court life," said Matthew. "You're right. If I didn't believe that every man should have a special place that is all his own then I would have gone and confirmed where his den was. But Alfred deserves at least one sanctuary against the world that he can hide away in. Some place that isn't in your arms. Who am I to take that away from my friend who has so little to cherish to begin with? I'm not heartless."

"And yet here we are going to break into that sanctuary."

"This is different. I haven't seen him. Despite all your hunting prowess you can't find him. Something is wrong and I will do what I must to make sure that he is ok – even if that means violating his den."

The pair continued on their walk. They stopped in a few places – a large flat sunning rock surrounded by grassy fields in the middle of nowhere, the cave where Matthew and Ivan had their confrontation, a glen positively brimming with blooming berry bushes (which Matthew got stuck in several times) but Ivan could find no trace of Alfred.

"We should stop soon for the night?" said Matthew after their most recent failed attempt. He was quite battered up from the last fall into a thorny patch but Ivan could find few traces of weariness in the other.

"Why? Your walking is even getting better."

"First off, it is sunset – no one can see properly anyway because of the light so it negates my lack of glasses. Second, the next few places that we need to get to are tricky to get to – like natural booby traps or something – and I do not want to attempt to get there in the dark no matter how much I want to find Alfred. Third, I'm not saying that you look tired or anything because you are a stoic dude but if you are an ounce off your game we might miss a trace of Alfred and it could be the last chance we have to find where he went. So for his sake we should stop, sleep, and then get going again."

"Fine."

No words were spoken over their shared meal.

X

They were up and moving even before the sun rose. Ivan was used to rising early and the desire to find Alfred helped him move more quickly. Matthew figured that this would happen so he was ready to go just as Ivan was about to snap at him for being too slow. Matthew could understand why Ivan was antsy but searching in the dark was no good for either of them. He held his tongue though. There was no need to incite any anger in the other – he had technically disobeyed Ivan's warning and if Ivan wanted to, he could be killed rather easily without his glasses.

The underbrush really thickened up as Matthew directed Ivan to another of the spots he normally found Alfred. For some reason this area was always difficult to get to but having been lost here several times only to be led out by Alfred's piercing gaze, Matthew had a good approximate guess that Alfred's den must be somewhere close.

The pair wound their way down a huge crevice and then up again along the side of a mountain that didn't look like it should be there geographically. Matthew could tell that Ivan was checking their environment intently for any signs of their missing friend but at least he did help Matthew out when he would trip and fall or get stuck in brambles that blurred in with everything else.

They were just rounding a set of absolutely massive trees when Matthew tripped again. One minute he was there in front of Ivan and the next he was rolling down into a steep gully – almost like a very deep dried out pond filled with leaves.

"Are you ok?" said Ivan. He heard Matthew groan but the other sat up, brushed some leaves out of his hair and gave Ivan a thumbs up.

"No worse off then the blackberries yesterday," Matthew said. He tried to squint to focus the Ivan-blur but it was no good. He settled for righting himself and trying to make his way up the incline. That didn't work out too well, however. The hill was too steep for him to navigate so blindly. Because of his lack of sight he couldn't spot the necessary handholds to enable himself to crawl his way out. After three times of sliding back down the hill Ivan had secured a rope around a sturdy nearby tree and was descending down after Matthew.

"Thanks for the save," said Matthew when Ivan pulled him upright again and guided him to the rope.

"Don't mention – "

Ivan had paused. Naturally Matthew turned to look where Ivan was looking but couldn't distinguish anything that would cause the hunter to pause mid-sentence.

"Ivan?" said Matthew. "What do you see?"

Ivan did not answer.

"Is it Alfred?" Matthew said. Then with a mind to the wild part of the world they were in, "Are we going to be attacked?"

"Wait here," said Ivan suddenly. "There is something shiny on a small ledge on the other side of the depression. It doesn't look right."

"O-oh," said Matthew. "Ok. I wont go anywhere."

Ivan's presence left Matthew's side and Matthew did his best to track Ivan's movements through the depression and up the side of the hill. It was difficult, given his state of impairment but the combination of Ivan's red hunting jacket not quite blending in with the dead leaves everywhere and Ivan's silvery hair that contrasted with just about everything, Matthew could follow the Ivan-blur as he went to inspect the shiny thing.

Without the aid of rope or roots Ivan slid down the incline a few times – it was just too hard for the larger man to get a decent hand hold amongst the dead leaves some times and one moment of indecision had him right back at the bottom of the hill. Finally, he reached the top and even from this distance away Matthew could hear Ivan gasp.

Before Matthew could shout a question up to Ivan the other had scrambled back down the hill and ran up to Matthew. Something was shoved on his face and soon the world was clear again.

"You found my glasses?!" said Matthew.

"How can you tell that they are yours?" Ivan said. Now that Matthew could get a good look at the other he could see the strain of not having Alfred around was taking on Ivan. The other seemed to be composed but there was that wildness in his eyes that spoke of something frantic and out of control. He seemed both haggard and keyed up at the same time and it made Matthew draw back from him a little. The intensity was only increased when Ivan caged Matthew in against the hillside. "How can you tell that they are yours?" Ivan said again.

"Well I can see for one," said Matthew. "Most people don't have my odd prescription. Other then that they sit just the way I like them to on my face without even trying. You wouldn't believe the amount of tweaking I have to do to get that to happen comfortably. It doesn't look it but my ears just don't quite match up so I have to bend the frames just so so that everything all works out. That and there's a small chip in the left lens in the bottom right corner that I got when I went impromptu body surfing down a waterfall last summer."

"But," continued Matthew, "If my glasses are here then where is Alfred?"

"I have found a cave at the top where your glasses were – perhaps there are some clues there."

Together the pair raced to the hillside that lead to the cave. Ivan used the same handholds he had found the first time around and Matthew followed step. The pair made it to the top in record timing.

"There's no way that this could be Alfred's den," said Matthew. "The hole is way too small. I've seen some of the stuff he carts away. I know he takes things from travelers – big things like shields and armor and chests of stuff and artwork and other random things. One time he brought a bureau to my house – one of the big ones from what I'm sure was from a cabin from that wrecked cruise liner a few years back."

"No way to know but to go through the hole," said Ivan although he did look like he had his doubts.

Showing true determination and every ounce of craziness Matthew had ever heard about the Russian people Ivan plunged into the hole. That didn't stop Mathew from following right behind Ivan.

As the walls closed in around them and the light from the entrance dwindled ever further, Matthew debated starting up a flame of some sort but he didn't know the dimensions of the space – only an idiot would potentially use up all the oxygen in a dead end area just for a spot of light – they'd come all this way and that would be a particularly lame way to die … especially if Alfred was still out there and needed them.

Mental debate over Matthew continued to crawl after Ivan.

Not five feet further Matthew ran straight into Ivan's butt.

"Fuck. Sorry!" said Matthew. "Why have we stopped? I can't see a darn thing here!"

"Can you see the light from the entrance anymore?" said Ivan.

Matthew did his best to widen his stance and looked between his legs only to see a void of blackness.

"Nope," said Matthew. "Don't tell me we're stuck."

"We are not stuck but the tunnel curves a bit and don't you think the ground feels funny."

"I can't see anything in this darkness and I'm tiring not to think about what is under hand at the moment thank you very much."

"Tell me Matthew, if you were building a den, why would you make a tunnel entrance like this?"

"If I answer you can we get moving again?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Well then. If I were building a defensible space, an entrance like this would be ideal because large bears couldn't get in and other predators – human or otherwise would have to get in one by one. If this leads to a larger space then the entrance can do the medieval castle thing and you can lop the person's head off right at the entrance. At least that's what I'd do."

"Exactly," said Ivan. "So how do we know that we are not going to lose our heads when we get to wherever this ends."

"How do we know that this tunnel isn't going to collapse on us any moment?"

"That you do not have to worry about so much," said Ivan. "It may be smooth packed quite well but I have already hit my head on a number of roots supporting the ceiling and walls. I am bigger then you and am scraping along here."

"Well that's a relief," said Matthew.

"You do not sound relieved."

"I'm in a tunnel to nowhere, we can't find Alfred, and if you decide to fart on me I will have no choice but to eat it. Not on the list of things I wanted to do with my afternoon, thanks much."

"I think I liked you more when you were afraid of me."

"Just shut up and keep crawling."

So the pair continued on.

After what seemed like forever Ivan spoke again.

"It is lightening up a bit," said Ivan.

"I'll have to take your word for it," Matthew said.

With the light came a new turn of fortune. The small tunnel dramatically expanded and soon the pair were able to stand in the splendor of a massive cave.

"This is totally Alfred's den," said Matthew.

"How can you be so sure," said Ivan.

"He's a packrat through and through," Matthew said. "See there? There's that bureau I told you about. That shelf over there has every pair of glasses I've ever brought to the Safari Zone besides the ones on my face. And for the crowning achievement my figurines are everywhere."

Ivan could only hum as he tried to take it all in.

Slowly they drifted apart to inspect the space. Matthew chuckled at every little thing he found – things he thought he'd lost, things he knew had been snatched right out from under the noses of the rich people who went to the luxury hotel, bits and bobbles and all sorts of things.

Ivan on the other hand was lost in his own world. He had never given much thought to Alfred's wintertime habits. He'd always figured the other went south to avoid the harsh weather. Now seeing proof that Alfred had stuck around and waited for him season after season really cut him deep.

Ivan had never guessed that Alfred's hoarding tendencies on their trips to the Pacific would amount to anything but profit for him and knowledge for the researchers back home but clearly it was a much larger issue. Part of Ivan felt pleased that no matter how hard he looked he could not find any evidence of their travels in the den – it appeared that Alfred had always given him everything – even when knowing that it would all be taken away by Ivan never to be seen again.

Some of the things that Alfred had accumulated he could not fathom the other's interest in – the globe for one … did Alfred know what it was? Could Alfred imagine what it took to get from one side of the Safari Zone to the other – or perhaps just how far away Ivan's home was from Alfred's den? Ivan did not understand the accumulation of pocket watches or fishing poles. The small toys were also equally perplexing to him. Did Alfred play with them like a child would? Why did he keep taking things from Matthew like that?

As Ivan picked his way around the cave he couldn't help but stop and look at the huge fisher in the wall that was letting in all the light. The view wasn't bad – of course he and Alfred had seen much more wonderful things but from this vantage point Ivan could spot many important areas to him and Alfred – from the crack you could not only see the tall ships approaching but also the sunning rock Matthew had led them too and even part of the path that someone would have to take to get to Matthew's cabin so far away. It was in all quite amazing and explained just how Alfred always seemed to know when Ivan was coming.

Turning back to the cave Ivan couldn't help but notice a smaller fortified area – a broken chest was not much of a dividing line but Ivan had been hunting all his life (or preparing for the day that he could hunt) and could spot the makings of a nest anywhere. So this was where Alfred slept? Ivan quickly picked up on the plethora of wooden figurines in the area….little soldiers, some painted with red coats and black fur hats – almost like Russian hunters. Amongst the shreds of fabrics Ivan could spot a number of star maps and a canvas of Icarus before his deadly fall. And there, in the middle of the whole thing was an object Ivan thought he'd never see again.

It was faded and tattered but Ivan could never forget his sister's handiwork anywhere. It was the coat that he had sacrificed when he left Alfred behind so many years ago.

With great reverence he drew the coat up to him as he crouched in the nest. From that vantage point he could see how the random shiny sparkly items around the room lit up the ceiling. Granted it was no night sky but as Ivan sat there in Alfred's nest he could not help but liken it to the great inky blackness of the night sky the pair of them had always enjoyed.

But all of that just rammed home one message even clearer – Alfred was not here. More then that, although the place was not dusty, it looked as if he hadn't been here in a while.

There amongst the blankets Ivan vowed that he would not give up searching for his love until he found him … or the body.

Slowly he moved away from the nest and replaced the loved coat.

He gave the room one final look around and headed for the tunnel again.

"Come Matthew, we are leaving," said Ivan.

"Huh?" came the inelegant reply. Ivan pulled Matthew away from the crack in the wall and its view and propelled the other back to the tunnel. As much as he didn't want Matthew to slow down his journey the other still knew a few places that Alfred liked to haunt so it was imperative that the other continue on with him.

Again they shuffled out of the cave through the tunnel and back to the darkness. Matthew was in front this time with Ivan trailing behind. When they reached the entrance of the tunnel Matthew stopped up short.

"What are you waiting for," said Ivan.

"I'm just making sure that no one is there to chop off my head or something," Matthew said.

With a roll of his eyes Ivan pushed the other out of the entrance following quickly after.

As he stood and stretched out his back from its cramped posture he spotted it.

It was faint but it shouldn't be there – it was a mark on a tree. Like someone had rigged a pulley system up … or a hunting trap.

"Ivan," said Matthew. Ivan turned from his find to look at Matthew who was holding up a bit of frayed rope and some leaves that were covered in blood. Matthew's face had lost all its color but it did not stop him from handing the offending objects to Ivan for inspection. "They were right here under some leaves," said Matthew. "When you pushed me out of the entrance I slid a bit and felt something odd against my forearm."

"Now we know what we're dealing with," said Ivan. He pointed up to the marked branch. Matthew drew in a sharp breath at what he saw. Matthew may not have been the hunter that Ivan was but he could put two and two together. Someone had taken Alfred against his will.

Now that they had a trail the pair of them set about searching for any signs of which direction Alfred had been taken. Matthew found more blood covered leaves leading away from the capture point. Soon after Ivan found a spot where the plateau they were on had been unnaturally sheared off as if someone had drug something heavy and struggling over it. Not 50 yards from there Ivan found moss that had been clawed off of a rock in a suspicious manner.

The trail was hot and the pair were scrambling to follow it, praying that when they reached the end it would not be too late.

X

Author's Note: 119 pages in and we finally hit the main conflict point! I would also like to point out that Matthew is the only one who has sworn in this whole fic – all of two times but mental-verbal screening with anything tends to go way down when you live alone and talk to yourself. If that seems out of character to you feel free to try it for a few years and then get back to me with the results. Matthew has also lived on the fringe for much longer than Arthur and has had to deal with an unfortunate number of situations which is why he doesn't use a lighter to illuminate the tunnel when Arthur a number of chapters ago didn't really think about it and did. Lastly, hopefully you all weren't too off-put by Arthur's reaction to discovering Alfred. I tried. Two more chapters and an epilogue to go! Onward!