Ch.7

The late morning sun shone through the tall windows of the Plaid Castle's grand dining hall. All the members of the Plaid family were seated at the long dining room table. Save for one.

King Leland, as expected, was seated at the head of the table, tucking into a bowl of oatmeal topped with colorful fruit. Blaine was seated next to him with the same meal, taking small bites with very little enthusiasm. Lance was seated two seats away from Blaine, stirring his oatmeal around mindlessly. His wide jittery pupils were fixed on the thick milky surface of his breakfast. The queen was, as usual, sitting far away near the end of the table. Blaine cast a glance over to his younger brother. Lance looked awful, his tan skin was paler than milk saturated tea, his eyes were red rimmed, moist, and bloodshot; He looked like he had been crying the whole night. His normally loose and carefree body language was now stiff and tightly wound like a pressured bed spring. Blaine also did not get much sleep that night, but he was able to hide it with plenty of cover up and water. When Lance's eyes locked with his, his heart ached as he took in the pure sorrowed laced desperation shimmering in their depths. Blaine mouthed out "You okay?" Before Lance could respond, their father cleared his throat, everyone turned to face him, except for his wife.

"Boys, I have terrible news. Last night….. There was a murder."

Blaine's heart skipped a beat; Lance held his breath as he clenched his spoon so tight his knuckles turned white. "The monster has escaped. He attacked and killed one of the guards and put the other one in the infirmary in critical condition."

Blaine felt himself shiver as the grim news descended on him like a storm. On the other hand, Lance let his body go slack as relief flooded his tense muscles. Their Father's eyes darkened as he spoke again, "This is a call to war, boys. This barbaric beast somehow snuck on to royal grounds and has been among us for god knows how long. Do you know what this means? It means that we have been too soft on beings like this. We knowingly allow their kind to socialize in our town, own businesses, and even marry and have relations with….. Other humans. Just the thought of someone deranged enough to permit such a defilement to themselves….. Even have a child with them….. Makes me sick to my stomach. We have been too lenient on these abominations to nature, we need to start making more rules to contain them…. Keep them in line. Or else more bloodshed will happen." Suddenly, The king stood up, knocking his knees into the table causing it to shake. "That is why, as a response to this call to anarchy and debauchery, the kingdom will see the creation of the Royal Creature Control unit. An armed force that will be tasked and trained to fight off these beasts and protect human lives." His cold hard eyes peered down to his sons,

"Blaine. Lance. I'm counting on both of you to lead in the creature control campaign."

While his eyes were still closed, Frederick smiled happily as the warmth of the sun chased away the cold of the night. His whole body felt like he was embraced in a soft blanket; He curled deeper into it, wanting to soak in all its comfort.

Wait a minute…...

He forced his eyes opened, to see that the tan yellow canvas of a tent. What the-!? He sat up with a jolt and scanned the small space. Where am I? How long have I been asleep? Did I just get kidnapped? Shit, how did I not wake up? Then he hears a sizzling sound outside the tent. He crept over to the flap and pulled it open. The first sensation that came to him was the savory aroma of eggs and frying meat. It would have made him relax if he didn't see what was in front of him. A large, heavy built man with snow white hair was leaning over a small fire, back to the tent. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK…. Ok, just…..quietly head over to the treeline…. Wait, he'll catch me in no time… Oh, how about I push him into the fire and then make a break for it... Yeah that's a way better plan. Frederick slowly crawled out of the tent and towards the stranger, ready to do just that.

Suddenly, the man turned his head towards him. "Oh, Good morning, did you sleep well?" he said casually.

Frederick was so surprised, he let out a yelp as he reared back on his bottom and scurried away from him like a crab. The man calmly observed him with steely gray eyes. His facial features were sharp and severe like the edge of a sword; He looked like a villain in a fairy tale. He had three jagged black lines etched on each of his cheeks. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" Frederick demanded

in the toughest voice he could muster. The man, still crouching, holds up a huge hand in a gesture of peace. "Calm down. I don't want to hurt you." He held out a flat stone that had two glossy sunny side eggs and a side of meat resting on its flat surface. "You hungry?" Frederick gave the man a hard stare as his stomach growled fiercely. The man, his face still, says, "Go on. It's not poisoned or anything. See?" He took a bite out of the meal to show he was telling the truth, then he extended the plate to Frederick once again. The teen, still unsure about the man's intentions, stared at him for a few seconds before the delicious smell finally won over suspicion. Frederick snatched the plate away and gobbled up the eggs and meat bare handed, manners be damned. The man's eyes widened a bit. "Jeez, slow down, kid. You're gonna make yourself sick if you keep eating like that. You really must have been hungry." he said as he turned back to the fire to cook more. Frederick licks the stone plate and says, "Sorry, I haven't eaten in a while and last-" Frederick stops himself. What am I doing? I can't go and spill my guts to a stranger about me being a fugitive. The man turns his head to meet his eyes. "What was that?" he asked. Frederick looked off to the side. "Nothing." Whitney serves Frederick another helping of breakfast,which he eats heartily. But a little slower this time. As he eats, the man takes a seat in front of him on the grass."So what's a kid like you doing out here in the enchanted forest? Did you get lost?" Frederick takes his time chewing to think of a good answer. Just be vague. Don't get into any details. Just make up a story and you'll be fine. "Well, I'm not from around here, I thought that the forest would be a good place to rest up before I continued on my way."

"You're lying."

Frederick paused mid bite.

"Uh..what?"

"If you were a traveller you would at least have a pack or some supplies with you. Any traveller worth their salt would know that. They also know better than to travel with no shoes." The man said as he looked down to Frederick's dirty and scratched up feet. Frederick, flustered, replies, "I…. lost them a little while back. Got jumped by some thieves and they took everything I had-"

"That's a lie, too. And even if it wasn't, I can tell that you're a noble's kid.

"What...but.."

"Even though you were hungry you kept your mouth closed, your posture is perfect, and even though you're hungry, you still look pretty well fed."

Frederick was quiet; He was gripping the now empty plate tightly in his hands as he stared at the white haired man in fear. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, you can relax. I'm not going to hold you for ransom, or anything." The man stood up to his full height, leading Frederick to do the same. Even standing the man towered over him like a tree. "Let's just take you back to town and-" Frederick backed away, still clutching the plate. "No! Please, don't! I can't go back! You don't understand!" Before Frederick knew it, The man quickly went to him, closing the gap between them and took firm grip on Fredrick's hand. "Take it easy, You won't get in trouble with-." It was like someone had flipped a switch in his mind. Everything went in slow motion; Frederick could actually count his heart beats. He took the stone plate with his free hand and bashed it over the stranger's crown of white hair. "AHHHHH!" the man cried as he let go of Frederick to grab his injured head. The teen used this chance to sprint into the tree line. He only ran a few feet before he felt himself being grabbed from behind and being put in a melvin lock. Frederick started to flail around in wild

desperation. "NO! NO! NO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO! DON'T TAKE ME BACK! PLEASE, I'M SORRY! I JUST WANT TO LEAVE!"

Whitney looked at him confused. "What? Where are you even going?"

"Anywhere but here!"

"That's not a direction! Look just calm down and-"

"THEY"LL KILL ME! THEY"LL KILL ME! IF THEY SEE MY FACE, THEY'LL KILL ME!" The man's mouth dropped open at the thick saturation of panic in the boy's voice. He relaxed his grip and Frederick slipped out of it and put five feet of distance between himself and the man. His legs trembled under him; It took all of his strength to keep himself standing. His heart hammered in his chest as he awaited the stranger's next move. For a while the man was silent, just staring at the boy. His brows furrowed in concentration and his eyes flashing with a mix of curiosity and concern. Finally, he spoke in a calm tone, "Alright. I won't take you back."

Frederick let out a sigh of relief that almost brought him to his knees. "Thank you." The white haired man turned and started toward the campsite. Frederick followed him from a distance. When he reached the site, the man was stomping out the fire and gathering up his supplies. He turned to him and pointed to the tent, "Just break down the tent and will be ready." Frederick cocked his head, curiously. "...where are we going?" he asks. "If you're trying to disappear, you'll have to go to the enchanted part of the forest. Nobody is crazy enough to search for anyone who goes there." Frederick nodded and quickly made his way over to the tent and started breaking it down. He felt the man's stare, so he turned to him. "What is it?" he asked. The man had an eyebrow raised as he said, "You want to go into the enchanted forest? A place completely uncharted, filled with many unknown mind warping creatures, and is famously known for its high disappearance rate? You do know that, right?" Frederick turned back to his task with narrowed eyes. "If it means no one will find me then it's worth it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm dead either way."

The two travellers hiked through the thick brush in silence as the sun beat at their backs. The pale haired man looked over to the young man. The boy was panting with effort as sweat dripped from his face in fat drops. He was obviously not prepared for the choice he had made.

"When we pass the border to the fae area, I want you to stay close to me."

The boy turned to him with suspicion etched on his face.

"Why?"

"The enchanted forest is no place for a sheltered rich boy like you. You wouldn't survive the night. So it's only right that I keep an eye on you until you decide what you want to do."

How do I know that you're not the danger I should be watching out for?

The man peered at him from the side.

"If I honestly wanted to kill you, We wouldn't be having this conversation now." The man replied, unfazed.

Frederick went pale as his mind raced with the grim outcomes he could have faced last night.

He's right. I could have been killed that night. He had every chance to take advantage of my weakened state. But then….

He looked over to the large man. His steely grey eyes stared ahead; They were narrowed with focus.

Can I really trust him? He seems like a nice guy, but is that just a ruse to get me to lower my guard? Is there a more sinister reason for him to keep alive? Should I run when I get the chance? But he does have a point, I've never had to survive in the woods like this. Not even in the school's training program. Hell, I don't even know much about surviving the normal woods let alone the enchanted part. Ok, I'll-

"Kid."

Frederick jumped out of his thoughts and turned toward the man, who was looking at him, expectedly.

"Huh?"

"I was asking you what your name was."

"Hmmmm. You first."

"Seriously?"

"It's only fair. You tell me your name, I'll tell you mine.

"Ok, It's Whitney. Of the Monochrome kingdom."

"…...I'm Frederick."

The two were silent again as they walked deeper into the woods. The constant appearance of trees was starting to lull the teen into an indifferent state from the natural monotony. It was a never ending pattern of trees, bushes, twigs, and rocks. The only thing that kept Frederick alert was the constant poking and prodding in his feet from the twigs and tiny pebbles. The glaring sun beamed at his back, soaking Frederick's white shirt with sticky sweat. By this time a cloud of gnats were buzzing around his head; Their insistent buzzing caused sparks of irritation. He scratched at his chest as he felt their tiny bodys graze the skin. His fingers gently pulled the flap of flesh that made a short straight line on his sternum.

All these annoyances completely disguised the bolt of serendipity that hailed from the ether.

The moment the teen cryptid took another step, he felt a jolt rush through him that made him gasp sharply.

That…..What…. Is this?

His vision of the wood changed; He stopped in his tracks as the redundancy of nature was erased from his very eyes. While everything seemed the same on its surface, a different more intimate change had occurred in the fabric of the area. Frederick felt it enter his lungs; The very air was charged with energy, an odd sort of energy that tickled the hairs on the back of your neck, that tingles at your fingertips, and made each breath you took a fresh and fizzy delight. It traveled his flesh and into his veins; Its tickling of his veins and blood vessels set loose a giggle from his lips. When it reached his head, he could feel it spread all over from his crown to his temples. Frederick swayed a little as he was stricken by a peculiar euphoric dizziness that made his head feel light, but it was accepted. It was the type of vertigo that one experiences as a child after spinning around for a minute. He was snapped out of it when he felt Whitney's strong hand steady him; His head snapped to him with eyes wide and alert.

"Frederick, are you alright?"

Frederick looked at him for a moment, then at the hand on his shoulder; A rise of discomfort burned in his chest. He plucked it from his person. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got woozy for a sec."

Whitney furrowed his brows, looking like he didn't believe him. "Well, this is a good enough spot to take a break. There isn't a lot of hostile activity near the border, so just sit down while I scout out ahead for a camping spot. Holler if you need me." Whitney said as he went off into some bushes. Frederick took his advice and sat down on a rock nearby.

That was really weird. But it felt nice, too. Like going on a theme park ride for the first time. Frederick took the time to look around. He had picked a good spot to rest since the rock was nestled right under a thick cover of leaves; An oasis of relief from the oppressive rays of the late afternoon. Frederick smiled as he tilted his face upwards, basking in the shadow of the fauna. He closed his eyes as he opened up his senses to the chirping of birds, the soft babbling of water, and the rustling of trees. His hearing focused and narrowed on the individual beats of nature; An earthy and contagious beat that pulsed from the very ground beneath his feet served as the most prominent sound. His foot tapped in time to the melody. Through the ocean of earthy music he swore that underneath it was another sound. A faint, and whispery peal that one had to listen really hard for. It sounded almost like….voices…. Singing…..

"Hey, Frederick."

Once again, Frederick's heart leapt out of his chest as he turned around to see Whitney coming out from the thrush with a drinking pouch. "We're in luck. There's a river over there. We can make a camp somewhere close to it." he said as he walked over to Frederick and handed him the pouch. "Oh, thanks." Frederick said before taking a swig. He felt Whitney's intense stare boring into him as he stood a few feet from him. Frederick frowned and gave him a medium-heat glare. "Do you stare at everyone like this or am I just special?" he said. Whitney, his face still neutral, asked, "Are you sure you're ok? You've been spacing out a lot and almost fainted just now. Did you hit your head?" Frederick rubbed the back of his head, nervously. "I wasn't going to faint…. and, yeah I hurt my head a while ago...But it's nothing seri-" Whitney rushed over to the boy, "What? Why didn't you tell me? Do you know how dangerous that is?"he said as he reached out to grab Frederick's head. But the teen backed away from his touch with a hiss, scooting off his rock and into the bushes. "Don't touch me!" he yelled in a stern voice.

Whitney stopped his approach and frowned; His storm cloud eyes glinted with stern concern, "Don't jerk yourself around like that. You might have a concussion. Stop being silly and come here." Frederick narrowed his eyes as he scooted farther away by a smidge. Whitney sighed as he crouched down to the teen's sitting position. "I'm not going to do anything unpleasant to you. I promise. I just want to make sure you're not hurt. Just, let me check your eyes, please." Frederick considered the earnest look in Whitney's eyes, stood up and warily approached him. The man took Fredrick's head in his hands and tilted it up to the light to look at his pupils. "Ok…they're dialating. That's good. When did you hit your head?" Whitney asked.

"Yesterday night." Frederick replied, squeezing his wrists nervously.

"Did you feel any nausea or got a headache after it happened?"

"Not really but I did have a headache, but it went away after I went to sleep."

"You went to…. Nggghh." Whitney let go of the boy's face as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Frederick, seeing his frustration, looked down to the ground sheepishly as he fiddled with his fingers. "Under the circumstances, I couldn't get medical attention at the time." he said. Whitney let out a big sigh before he looked at him again, his brows were closely knit. "Well, it doesn't look like you have a

concussion, but try not to push yourself too hard and let me know if you start feeling sick." Whitney walked back to where their new campsite layed. Frederick followed a few steps behind.

The rest of the afternoon was spent setting up their new base; Frederick was tasked with putting up the tent, while Whitney went off to catch dinner. After many frustrating tries consisting of the tent either falling down or standing proudly before falling down again, Frederick finally got the tent to stand. He took a look around and saw that there were some edible flowers growing close to the site. "Hey, there's some hibiscus. Oh, and some rosemary… Here are some lilacs…. These carnations look good... Ooooo, mint leaves!"

When Whitney returned, the sun was beginning to set, so he started on making a fire, while Frederick washed himself in the lake, far downstream of course. Whitney used some of the flowers to brew some tea. He added the more savory herbs to spice up the beef stew he was cooking up. When night covered the land with its cool ever expanding shade, the two travellers sat around the fire having dinner. Frederick slurped down his soup, practically inhaling his meal as some dribbled down his chin. When he removed the bowl from his lips, he gaped at Whitney in amazement. "This is so good. Were you a chef or something?" Whitney poured himself some more tea as he replied, "When you've been out here as long as I have, you pick up a few skills. Nice job picking the herbs. The mint leaves go really well with the camomille. I didn't think you'd know about this kind of thing."

"Well, I read a lot of books on plants back home and most of the facts just stuck with me."

"Hmmh."

The two were silent again as the crickets chirped and the river rippled. Frederick gazed at Whitney, who was nuding a stick in the fire. He took a sip of his tea to calm his nerves, "Hey, listen. If we are going to be traveling together, then I want to make a deal with you."

Whitney raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of deal?"

"I can ask one question and you have to answer truthfully, and vice versa."

"I suppose that's fair. It'll make things a lot smoother."

"Alright, I'll go first. What's the story with that weird tattoo on your face?"

Whitney touched his stripes reflexively.

"Tattoo?..Oh, you mean these tiger stripes…. Um, I guess you could say I got them because I needed a humbling reminder of a very important life lesson….That what goes around…eventually comes back around.

Frederick cocked his head and gave him a weird look.

Then why didn't you just get a tattoo of the quote if you wanted to remember that lesson so badly. But whatever.

"I wouldn't want to subject a kid to this kind of grueling tale, but to put it lightly, I was a bad person. I took what I want and did what I pleased, no matter whether it caused others unhappiness or risked my own life."

Whitney peered at Frederick, his silver eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. "My turn. Why did a kid like you, from a well off family, decide to run away and risk his life hiding in a part of the woods that's crawling with monsters?"

Frederick, turned his gaze to the ground, "It's a long story but to put it briefly….. I ran away because of what I am….. What I became one night….. If I stayed then I would have met my death today." The two were silent.

"That…..told me absolutely nothing." Whitney said in a disappointed tone.

Frederick smirked.

"Well I figured since you were going to be vague and mysterious. Then so should I."

Whitney frowned, slightly, "You still don't trust me?"

"With a story as blurry as that, should I?"

Whitney silently eyed the smug boy, half annoyed and half impressed. "Touche."

Both guys finished their meals and were getting ready to go to sleep. Frederick was crawling into the tent as he asked, "You aren't coming in?" Whitney replied as he crouched down into the grass a few feet away, "No. I'm used to sleeping outside and plus you're going to need me out here." Frederick watched as the man circled around on his hands and knees before settling in to what looked like a comfortable spot. He entered his tent, pulled the small sheet over him and shut his eyes.

What a weirdo…. At least he's a nice weirdo.

Frederick bolted upright from his slumber in a cold sweat; Not really knowing what had woken him. His eyes frantically surveyed his surroundings. His mouth was dry as paper; It felt like dry and fury like he had a squirrel for a tongue. He brought his knees to his chest as pain ripped through his stomach. What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so hungry? What's happening to me? His throat stung as he tried to swallow the little spit he had; A coppery taste coated his mouth making swallowing even more difficult.

I need a drink.

He flipped open the tent flap and crawled outside the tent. His damp palms crushed the cold grass, releasing its leafy smell. When he stood up and looked around, he was greeted to a whole new world. The area was alive with the croak of frogs, the chirp of crickets, and the patter of paws. He could see it all even without light. He could make out the slimy bodies of worms at the river bank, moths flying through the air, and Whitney's sleeping body. Frederick knew the big adult was asleep by the steady beat of his heart. He looked so peaceful there, all curled up like a cat in his cloak. Frederick stepped closer, drawn in by the dull thud that filled his ears and muffled out the rest of the world. As he got closer, his nostrils were filled with a spicy sweet smell; Memories of imported bitter sweet chile chocolate bubbled to the forefront of his mind. He licked his lips as his mouth began to water. He knelt down as Whitney's gentle heart beat rang in his ears, followed by a rapid rushing sound that resonated with the rhythm of the heart. He gently cradled Whitney's head, turning it over to expose his pale neck. The source of the delicious aroma was right under his skin, he could smell it; It was like those stuffed chocolates that had cream inside. He lowered his head to the snow-white skin, his mouth slowly opening.

So good.

Frederick snapped his head back up as he realized what he was about to do.

What am I doing?

He put Whitney's head down as he stood and backed away from him, hands clamped over his mouth.

Oh No…..I was going to… Oh, fuck.

He felt the skin of his palm graze over something sharp. When felt around his mouth, he was horrified to feel a sharp set of fangs. Frederick continued to back away from Whitney until he was almost to the tree line. He gave him one last look before sprinting off into the trees.