Separated

I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Stef's full name means 'crown' and Gregory means 'watchful' or 'vigilant.' Stef's name is sorta ironic no? And oh my gosh, another song that fits the story and/or Alec and Ellis's relationship almost to the 't.'

Chapter 14- Stand Up; Fireflight

Ellis noticed that Alec was keeping his distance while they made their way back to the camp. The Hunter seemed extremely tense and the hillbilly wanted to know why but he knew that he wouldn't receive an answer from Alec even if he could say more than two words at a time. He would have Philo give him a once over and tell him when they got back. He knew that his Alec was still there and always be there but something other than the external changes to the Hunter seemed different. "There ya are!" Philo breathed when they stepped out of the scrub. "What-woah. What the hell happened to you?" he looked at Alec with an expression of pure shock. The Hunter looked away, staring at the ground intently. Philo took an experimental sniff at the air around him and drew back with a low hiss. "Yer changed." he practically growled.

"No shit Sherlock." Alec snapped, narrowing his eyes at him. Curling his hands into a fist, he felt his claws dig into his palm more than the had before. "If you don't think I'm aware of that by now then you're slower than I thought."

"Apparently the changes to ya came with a shortage of temper." Philo hissed, straightening his stance. "Ya still smell like a Hunter but... at the same time not. Like... ya smell more feral than that."

"Damn hard to do." Gregory said from behind them. He was standing near Stef who was trying to contain typical Witch sobs as much as she could. "We're gonna head down the road and gather up the smart Infected. If we can get enough we might be able to start a rebellion." he coughed, rolling one shoulder like he had laid on it goofy. "We'll try and keep in touch. There's more testing facilities in Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. You know, the places with a whole lot of nothing in them." Stef stood up, wobbling some. She was thinner than most Witches. Alec narrowed his eyes at them and let out a thoughtful growl.

"Wait a minute." he growled, already backing into the woods. He quickly locked onto the scent of a rabbit that hadn't gone to hibernate yet and followed it. He dispatched it quickly, picking it up by its ears and carrying it back, trotting lightly. Even striding like that he moved faster than normal. The scientists had some intention for him other than finding a possible cure or finding out why he was smarter than most other Infected. Alec knew that much. "Here." he grunted, tossing the rabbit to Gregory. The Smoker caught it with a shocked expression, looking up at the Hunter curiously. "You guys are scrawny. Eat it once you get a bit farther down the road." he nodded his head to the south where Gregory had said they were heading.

"Alright then. Thanks. Hopefully our paths will cross again." with that, he lead Stef into the brush. An abrupt farewell, but in this day and age, there was really no time or room for formalities. Alec furrowed his eyebrows. He could feel the internal changes in him. He could take in deeper breaths and his heartbeat seemed stronger. That meant he could run or fight longer. He had felt the strength flowing through him when he had chased the Charger and his brother Patrick, who had become a Jockey, through the forest. They had tried to enter the camp. He had heard them talking about stealing Ellis and Joshua to eat. They obviously weren't intelligent, just happened to be in the area. Though he had still been in pain at that hour, Alec had gotten up, his want and need to defend those that he considered his through some possessive instinct over riding his agony. He had made a point of drawing out their deaths, leaving Patrick to suffer on the ground as he slowly bled out once he had dealt with his Charger buddy.

Suddenly, Alec felt the air beside him shift and he jumped back instinctively. Philo straightened up from his crouched position where he had tried to nail Alec in the head. "Yer instincts are stronger. Normally I would be able to club you before ya reacted." Alec snarled a wordless curse at him, his pupils narrowing some more. "What else changed about ya?" the Smoker inquired. Alec didn't answer, his flight or fight drive being stronger than it should have been. That showed that he would be able to take on a Tank and come out of it with less injuries than before if he was that tense around someone he trusted with his life and more. "Let's see how fast you've become. We need ta get all this down if a rebellion is gonna be started." Philo was fast but he couldn't run long. He could out pace Alec in a sprint but he would slow down quickly if his life didn't depend on it. Alec narrowed his burning red eyes, his lips pulling back in a snarl, showing his more elongated fangs. Philo pushed off the freezing ground, closing the gap between him and Alec in an instant but the Hunter reacted immediately. He spun and sprinted into the trees with more speed than he was used to but he was able to pick out where every tree was, where every possible root he could trip over was located. He was completely aware of his surroundings. And he left Philo in his dust.

An odd scent caught his nose as he skidded to a halt in the middle of the woods. He strained his ears, able to faintly hear Philo wheezing a long way's back. Listening around that, Alec concentrated on the otherwise silent forest around him. A freezing blast of wind carried the same scent to him and he growled, recognizing it. One ear twitched some as he heard someone coming through the brush and he crouched down onto all fours, his instincts driving him. There was something else dwelling in his mind other than his Hunter mentality now, and it was stronger than his Hunter instincts. Alec backed up, making sure to set his heavy steel toe boots down silently on the forest floor. He skulked up a tree, perching in a division half way up, hidden by needles. Nick stumbled through the brush, looking around fearfully. He had been following them. Alec didn't know what had happened after he had been captured but he knew that Nick had been left in the forest after he had lead the military right to them with the tracker on his body somewhere.

And of all the other people in the world to be with him, stumbled Rochelle. Narrowing his eyes, Alec listened as the wind carried the sound of Ellis talking to Philo to him. Ellis's voice then grew a fraction closer, showing that he was coming to look for the Hunter. Alec swallowed thickly. What would Ellis's reaction be to both of the remaining humans he had once trusted with his life showing up so close to their camp? He would wait and see, deciding to jump in if it got to be too much for Ellis to handle by himself or if Nick tried anything. Alec wouldn't put anything past the slimy bastard.

The Hunter had lead Philo in a slight arc so really he wasn't that far away and Ellis stepped into his field of view quickly. The hillbilly froze when he saw the two other humans before him. Alec dug his claws into the bark of the branch he was perched on to keep himself in place as his desire to protect Ellis kicked in sharply. Gritting his teeth together, Alec swallowed a growl as Nick deliberately moved closer to Ellis. Rochelle hung back some, obviously not sure how to proceed now that she was face to face with the one who she had knowingly left behind again. If she expected a violent tongue lashing she was sorely mistaken, Ellis wasn't like that. In fact, he just stood there quietly for a few agonizingly slow minutes before Nick spoke up. "You have to come with us to a camp." he said firmly, like he actually believed that Ellis would trust him.

"Like hell I will." Ellis snapped back with surprising fury and venom in his tone.

"Please sweetie," Rochelle said, getting her courage back now that Ellis had spoken. Alec commended her for her bravery but he planned on making both of them suffer later. "You're not safe out here."

"So you believe. I'm safer here than in any survivor camp." Alec watched as Ellis's stance became increasingly tense as both of the other humans moved closer. He swallowed a snarl, holding himself back until he knew he would be needed. "I don't belong in one of those anyway. I'm actually wanted and needed out here."

"By who? Those monsters you've tamed?" Nick snapped skeptically. A growl oozed from Alec then before he could stop it, making Nick and Rochelle both tense up. He noticed that his wordless growls were more guttural than before, and he was sure that his screeches would be more intimidating as well. As if they needed to be. "Ellis you're human, they're not. Not anymore and you need to come with us."

"So what? You can abandon me again? That's not gonna happen Nick." Ellis moved to turn away but Nick decided to be stubborn and strode forward. He took hold of Ellis's arm and yanked him back. "Let go of me." the hillbilly said icily calm. He was obviously aware that Alec was near by and wasn't afraid that Nick would hurt him if he didn't listen. Alec ground his fangs together, tearing off a chunk of bark as he forced himself to remain in his place.

"You're coming with us Ellis." Nick growled, tightening his grip. Alec noticed a miniscule pain cross Ellis's face and only then did he move. He dropped down from his position above the two, ripping Nick's hand off of Ellis's and throwing him back, making him smash into a tree hard. He fell on the ground with a thud, gasping for air. Alec put himself between Ellis and the conman, keeping a keen eye on Rochelle who now had a look of horror on her face. Alec growled lowly when Nick staggered to his feet, sweeping his eye over him to look for any visible signs of the tracker. But he knew how small it was so he didn't expect to find anything. "You again." Nick gasped, sucking in a deep breath to get the air back in his lungs. "I thought you were captured."

"Wrong." Alec snarled, curling his hands some into menacing talons, like the foot of an eagle. He watched silently as Nick pulled a magnum pistol out from his jacket, recognizing it as the one he had always had on him in New Orleans. He knew how powerful the gun was but with how enhanced his senses and instincts were now, he was confident that he wouldn't get hurt if Nick tried to attack him.

"Nick wait." Rochelle said, putting one hand on the arm that held the pistol. She looked over at Alec, seeming to draw some mental conclusion. "We can't force him to do anything and you know it. And its obvious that this Hunter is not letting him go anywhere." she looked fully at Alec and tilted her head to the side, her brown eyes thoughtful. "Are you the same one from New Orleans?" Alec growled but offered her a tiny nod.

Nick was either stupid, brave, or stupidly brave because he used the fact that Alec had his attention focused on Rochelle to fire a bullet into the Hunter's shoulder. Alec let out a loud screech, forced to take a step back. He felt Ellis's body heat behind him, and could sense how much the hillbilly had tensed up when the bullet had connected with Alec's shoulder. The Hunter glared at the conman and crouched to pounce. His eyes flickered around their surroundings briefly, noticing how easily he could use it to advantage. Leaping against the trunk of one tree, he ricocheted off another and landed behind Nick, slashing his back before leaping over him and into the brush. He exploded from the scrub a heartbeat later after turning around and pounced directly on the conman, driving him into the ground. He pounced off immediately, clawing his way up a tree and spinning on a branch, launching himself down again, sending Nick deeper into the leaf litter. He felt and heard a couple of the human's ribs cracked and growled sadistically. "Alec stop!" Ellis yelled suddenly as Alec pounced off and hung from a branch to launch himself down again. "Stop." he repeated.

"Why?" Alec demanded, his voice throaty. He felt his shoulder throbbing but ignored it, hanging by one hand from a branch and peering down at the three humans on the ground. Nick had yet to regain his breath and equilibrium, Rochelle had stumbled back at Alec's sudden attack. Ellis had moved forward some, now holding Nick's pistol which had gone flying from the conman's hands when Alec had first pounced on him.

"Don't kill them." Alec sensed a 'yet' in there somewhere. "Just... let's send 'em on their way." Alec narrowed his eyes at the hillbilly but gave him a sharp nod in agreement, pulling himself fully on the branch. "Get goin you two. I don't ever want to see ya again." there was a strong sadness and sense of betrayal in Ellis's voice which told Alec that the dam on the hillbilly's more depressing feelings had cracked if not broken. Alec glared after the two humans as Rochelle helped Nick limp away. He narrowed his eyes when he looked down at his arm, noticing that some of his blood had trickled down his arm and mixed with the blood that had splashed on him when he had slashed Nick's back. If any of Alec's blood got into Nick's wound then the result would be bad. It had felt like he was getting Infected all over again last night which Alec concluded that he now had a different strain of the Infection in him. No one was immune to him now which was why he was staying as far away from Ellis and Joshua as he could without seeming mean.

Letting out a low thoughtful growl, Alec turned his eyes down to Ellis, who hadn't moved yet. Sliding down from his perch in the tree, Alec stood beside the hillbilly, letting out a soft noise. Ellis slowly turned to look at him, his eyes cloudy with concealed sorrow and pain. He had been more effected by them abandoning him than he had shown, and he had cried himself to sleep. Had he really been that attached to them when they had been traveling together? If so then Alec really had no right to stop him from leaving if he really wanted to. "Can't there ever be peace?" Ellis whispered, closing his eyes. He was being unusually quiet as of late, which gave the Hunter reason to be concerned but at the same time not. Ellis would never lose his happy optimistic attitude, that was just who he was. But they both knew there were times to be happy and times to be serious.

"Maybe." Alec growled, his eyes flicking in the direction Nick and Rochelle had gone when he faintly heard a yelp of pain from the conman. Swallowing thickly, the Hunter focused his attention back on Ellis, frowning thoughtfully. He wished he could talk better but he still couldn't. Thinking back, he realized that he didn't find as difficult now that he was changed. Maybe whatever had happened had made him more human in some ways and more animal-like in others. Sucking in a deep breath, Alec looked down and furrowed his eyebrows. "Peace... will come... eventually." he growled, his voice raspy and breaking some. But it was clearer than his other attempts when Philo was still reteaching him. He was glad those night lessons had ended about a week ago. He honestly didn't know how much more of the humiliation he could stand as he failed to speak like a civilized person.

Ellis looked at Alec with an astonished expression, having never heard him speak that much at once. He was used to one or two words at a time, not a full sentence like that. Stepping forward, he watched as Alec tensed up noticeably. "Yer not gonna hurt me. What are ya so scared of?"

Alec growled to himself. "You're... not... immune."

"Yes I-"

"To me." Alec finished after some silent growls. Ellis looked at him closer, noticing that instead of his skin being pale like it had before, it had taken on some color but he still looked somewhat pale as compared to humans. With his longer claws, fangs, and now cat-like red eyes, Ellis believed that he had in fact changed but he had never thought that the Infection in him had changed too. If it had, then both Ellis and Joshua were at risk. But that thought didn't concern the hillbilly like it should have. He loved Alec, and nothing would ever change that. In fact, sometimes he thought that the human-Infected gap between the two of them was too much. While he would never ask Alec to change for him, he wished that he was still human sometimes. And if not Alec being human then Ellis wished to be Infected so that he could have something in common with the Hunter instead of just the depressing fact that they had both been abandoned by family or friends.

Ellis sucked in a deep breath, fixing Alec with an intense look through bright blue eyes. "Ya know, I really can't bring myself to care." he stated simply, moving closer. Alec looked at Ellis a bit apprehensively but didn't move back when Ellis stopped a few inches from him, looking up at the slightly taller Hunter with an odd look in his eyes. "Yer still mine, no matter the changes. I thought we already covered this." Alec swallowed thickly, blinking a couple times.

"...I know." Alec sighed, reveling in how much easier it was for him to speak. He could still feel the stronger blood-lust but it seemed the closer he was to Ellis the more in control he was. He drew strength from the relationship and closeness he had with the hillbilly, and he was eternally grateful to him for staying near him so long. But once he thought about it his mind conjured up the thought that Ellis was only hanging around him and Philo because he owed them a debt and he was safe. Shaking that thought off quickly, Alec let out a soft purr, enjoying the closeness and the feel of the cold wind that blew around them.

I don't like how this one ended. Its too similar to how the last one did but oh well, I'm out of ways to continue this one. And you guys are either going to hate me or hate Nick for the part he'll play in a few chapters. And that was a dead give away... damn it. Oh well, review, they are very much loved and appreciated!