Creature of the Wood - Chapter 1


I am a Creature of the Wood,
Forsaken in my solitude.
My song is pleasure and is pain,
My song can drive a man insane.
So come with me, my pipes I'll play...
And we will dance til break of day.

~Heather Alexander, 'Creature of the Wood'.


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"Where the hell did he go??"

The shout from behind was enough to spur the youth even faster, until he nearly skidded around the next corner. The school halls were empty, so each footfall echoed around him. He had to stop running and FAST, or even those idiots would catch on eventually. His eyes caught sight of movement to his left and he almost laid himself out on the tile as he screeched to a stop. There! Changing direction, he darted towards the row of lockers and the boy who was currently pulling books off the top shelf.

"Mind if I use this for a sec, thanks, Trowa!" He gasped out, startling the other boy for a second before he stepped inside the locker and slammed the door.

Trowa stood there for a moment, staring at the now-closed locker door and just sighed. As he picked up the papers that had scattered on the floor, he lifted his gaze towards the four youths that were barrelling in his direction.

"Where is he, Barton?"

A single brow raised as if in question and the slender teen leaned against his locker, books tucked safely in his arms. "Where's who?"

"Like you need to ask?" The apparent leader of the group crossed his arms over his chest and attempted to look intimidating. However, intimidation hardly ever worked with Trowa Barton. Most of the school had already figured out that trying to get the elusive boy to buckle was damn near impossible.

"If I didn't need to ask, would I be wasting my time with you?" Came the calm reply. His expression never changed, and he let his gaze flick over each boy in turn.

A low growl was heard and one of the group started forward, only to be held back by one of the others. Trowa just smirked faintly. That one must be new. Otherwise he wouldn't have been that stupid. "Okay... where's Maxwell? We saw him come this direction."

"I'm not his keeper today. I haven't seen him."

"Not at all?"

"No."

Silence descended as the two seemed to begin a staredown. Another lovely 'knack' Trowa had however, was that no one could engage him for long. There was something about his eyes that just unnerved people greatly. One boy had said that it was like staring into the eyes of a wild animal that was just figuring out the best way to skin you. His 'track record' gained another victory in this case as the other boy backed down and turned away, beckoning his followers with him. "Fine. We'll figure out where the little jackass went on our own."

Only after their footsteps had completely vanished did Trowa sigh softly and open his locker door. Crouched in a ball and now grinning up at him was the boy in question. The long chestnut braid was disheveled and he looked like he'd gotten some close personal contact with the campus lawn recently. "NOW what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Duo's voice was indignant... or as indignant as he could get when trying to pry himself out of a space that someone half his size would have trouble fitting into.

"Duo..."

"I'm serious! I didn't do shit this time." THIS time, he had to remind himself. He put on his best innocent smile and looked up at Trowa.

"Nice try. I've seen too many other expressions on your face to fall for THAT one." Trowa slammed the locker door closed and shook his head before turning to leave. "Next time, I'll just let them at you. Worst that can happen is I have to replace books."

Duo just stood there, gaping slightly as he attempted to look hurt. "You wouldn't do that!" He shouted, starting forward and following the other boy. "Just because you SAID that, I know you won't do it! You can't tell the truth longer than five seconds to save your ass!"

"Don't push it, fairy." Came the soft growl from in front of him. They were alone now... and that meant there were no holds barred. Duo grinned, stopping short as a wicked grin spread across his face.

"Here, kitty..." He whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. The effect, however, was far more pronounced. Trowa literally stopped in midstep, turning and glaring back at him.

"Oh you ARE pushing it."

"What are you gonna do, lick me to death?"

"You wish."

Duo just shrugged, walking nonchalantly past the taller boy. "And what if I do?"

Trowa rolled his eyes upward, groaning faintly. "Whoever's listening, give me patience." The long braid was already disappearing around the corner and Trowa was fairly bristling. DAMN him. Of anyone he'd ever known, Duo Maxwell was easily the one who could provoke a reaction out of him at any time. It was going to be a long afternoon, he reflected as he headed out the doors and made his way in silence to his own quarters.

He remembered back when he'd been delighted to find out he wasn't alone here. Too many of the other students were downright painful to be around, and it didn't take long for Duo and Trowa to find each other and become fast friends. Of course, being friends with Duo meant covering his tail most of the time. Trowa swore that SOMEONE was having a great laugh at his expense. For all intents and purposes, the two of them should be reversed. Trowa was aware of the young Changeling far before the other had noticed him. The pranks, practical jokes and absolute mockery with which Duo faced nearly everything in his path were enough to drive even Trowa insane... and his kith was the one who was supposed to be renowned for pranks! Duo definately didn't fit the mold of other Sidhe Trowa had met. As a whole, they were stuck up, snobbish aristocrats who enjoyed nothing better than looking down their slender noses at the 'commoners'. Duo on the other hand... seemed to take every prerequisite of his kind and shatter it into a thousand pieces.

Trowa chuckled softly as he laid his books down and quickly changed clothes. His friend was definately not 'normal' in any aspect of the term. No wonder his father had sent him to this godforsaken school on the other side of the world from his home. No noble in their right mind would keep around a son who flaunted the fact that he hated the aristocracy. Stepping back out into the late afternoon sun, Trowa inhaled deeply, half closing his eyes in pleasure. This was the time he loved more than anything. Most students were either busy with schoolwork, activites, or each other. Hardly anyone used the old forest paths at dusk, especially on a weeknight. He set off towards the paths at a decent rate, reaching the edge of the woods just as the sun had started to dip below the horizon.

With one final scan around him, all of his senses extended to show him what he couldn't see, Trowa was satisfied that there was no one within any appreciable distance. He took off into the forest at a dead run, revelling in the wind whipping past his body. His bare feet left smooth tracks against the slightly damp earth... and if anyone had followed after him, it was too dark to notice when the long prints of two feet slowly changed into the clawed imprints of four.

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TBC