Will knew once he left the herd it was only a matter of time before he would begin to feel lonely. It was only natural. Centaurs were social creatures and enjoyed the company of their herd. The stallions that were driven off usually stayed together until they could find another herd to compete for leader status or start their own group. Will did not want another herd. They would only turn on him for his strange ways. He had experienced loneliness in his herd; the isolation and fear from his fellow centaurs. No, that would not do. He would stay on his own, maybe find satyrs or nymphs to be friends with.
It was four days since his departure and expected the loneliness, but what he couldn't stand was the ringing silence. He was used to having the others nearby. Hearing their hoof beats or their voices carrying in the wind. Out on his own there was empty cold wind and his own hoofs to keep him company.
But worst of all, he missed Hannibal. It was silly to miss the other centaur, but he couldn't help it. He knew it was a fairytale to think Hannibal would want him. The others would have ostracized Hannibal just like they did with Will, and the lonely centaur doubted a centaur as beautiful as him would appreciate it. Maybe Hannibal would have tried to convince him to leave, but what if Hannibal grew weary of Will? What if he listened to what the others had to say and left him alone in the unknown. It was a lifetime of possibilities which all lead to uncertainty.
But you fell in love, his thoughts whispered, and Will clutched at the straps of his bag. It wouldn't have worked. What happened between them might have been a courtship, but Will didn't want to isolate the other centaur by having him be associated with him. It was better this way.
The lonely centaur sighed and shook his head, trying to think of more important matters. Such as finding shelter. His ears folded down as the wind picked up and he curled his arms around himself. He walked a bit faster and scanned the trees around him to see if any had weak branches he could take. He began to pick up fallen branches and twigs and found a small crevice of a fallen tree. Will arranged branches to make a small nest. It didn't keep the wind out, but it was better than nothing.
Will was about to settle in and wait out the coming storm when he heard something crashing through the foliage. He stood on alert and gripped his bag. He scanned the trees, but with the darkened clouds hiding the evening sun he couldn't see anything in the shadows. He began to back up and wished he had something to defend himself. A true centaur wouldn't need to make weapons. It was not needed with their powerful legs.
He was ready to sprint when a shadow broke through. Startled, Will reared up and blindly kicked at the shadow. He missed, but he barely made out the low grunt as the shadow moved to avoid being hit. Will lowered his legs back to the ground, his shoulders stiff. He recognized the stranger's voice.
"Hannibal?"
Will didn't have enough time to react as he was pulled into a tight embrace. He briefly struggled, but Hannibal had a firm grip on him. He laced his fingers through Will's curls with one hand as the other gripped him around his torso. Will went limp in the embrace and quietly reveled in the warmth from the other centaur. When Hannibal finally pulled back his kept his hands on Will's shoulders and looked him over, his maroon eyes searching out for any wounds. He looked worried, and Will felt horrible for making him worry. He opened his mouth to apologize, to explain, but Hannibal shook his head.
"We will discuss it later." Hannibal assured him, giving his shoulders a tight squeeze before trailing down to grasp his hands. "Come, it is going to rain."
Soon the two centaurs were huddled in the nest. It was still cold, but Will didn't notice due to the warmth coming from Hannibal's body. He had no choice but to stay close to him, and he was silently relieved for it. And he doubted Hannibal would have allowed him to try and put distance between them. Will sighed as he rested his head on Hannibal's shoulder and a smile appeared as he felt an arm curl around him.
They did not discuss Will's departure from the herd like Will thought they would. Instead Hannibal asked if he had ever seen the ocean.
"I have some acquaintances I wouldn't mind visiting." Hannibal explained as he grabbed his own bag Will hadn't noticed the night before. "It would be nice to introduce you to them."
Will couldn't refuse. Hannibal smiled and took him by the hand and together they set off towards the east. Will felt an ecstatic joy as they walked, the dark, negative voice becoming smaller and smaller as they traveled through the forest and waded through the plains of tall golden grass. Days turned to nights and the moon changed form as they built a temporary nest each evening. They fell into their usual routine they had before and Hannibal began again to help Will with his drawing. Will, in turn, taught Hannibal how to catch and gut fish. Hannibal was a quick learner, as he was with everything, and Will was fascinated with how the other centaur's nimble fingers held the knife and sliced open the fish.
"I can't believe you've never done this before," Will commented in wonder. Hannibal chuckled and gave him a secretive smile.
"I've told you I've met others like you, William."
It sounded like Hannibal was only telling him a partial truth, but Will didn't call him on it, falling more and more in love as Hannibal cooked the fish over the fire and took a bite without hesitation.
Each night the centaurs sat close together while watching the dying embers of the fire, and Hannibal whispered stories into Will's ear to lull him to sleep. Will would smile and lean into Hannibal's side as the other centaur ran fingers through his hair and over his ears. He had never felt so cared for since his father's passing. He felt safe and secure.
It was on the fifth night Will dug out the flower crown from his bag, slowly stroking over what was left of the dried petals. Most of them had crumbled into his bag, but the wreath of thorns held tight. Hannibal didn't say a word as Will placed the crown on his head, and when Will finally met his eyes did he swoop in to give him a kiss. The crown lost a few more petals that night.
Will stood in awe as he took in the view, barely registering Hannibal's hand as it rested on his back.
"What do you think?" Hannibal asked, and though Will wasn't facing him he could hear the amusement in his voice.
Will didn't answer as he took in his first sight of the ocean. The sky was gray and the blue waters were rushing towards the sandy beach, but there was no threat of a storm. He took a deep breath and tried to memorize the scent. It wasn't anything like the warm, green smell of nature in the forest. It was its own concoction of salt and earth, the moisture hanging heavily around him. He closed his eyes and listened to the water and wind.
"I never want to leave." Will finally answered. Hannibal wrapped his arm around him and pulled him closer.
They made a nest in the forest bordering the ocean. It was close enough to still hear the crashing waves and smell the salt in the air, but far enough to be safe from any storm. Will placed the last finishing touches on the nest before stepping back to take it all in. It was his new home. His and Hannibal's new home. It was hard to fully comprehend; he feared he was dreaming and he would wake up to be just a pleasant yet cruel dream. He found himself pinching himself just to make sure.
Hannibal came up beside him carrying more branches in case they needed to add any for their nest. He thanked Will as the other centaur helped him and as they placed the branches in a pile he talked about his acquaintances that were nearby.
"They will be delighted to meet you, but I think we should wait a few days to settle in before meeting them. They will understand."
Will thought it was a great idea, though he was still nervous about meeting other centaurs. What if they rejected him because he was a meat eater like his old herd? Hannibal soothed his fears with a kiss and stoked his sides.
"Trust me, my dear Will, they are going to love you." Hannibal promised. He separated from Will to grab his bag and pulled something out. "I've been meaning to give you this, but I wanted to wait until we arrived."
Will watched as Hannibal procured a wreath of flowers none like Will had ever seen. They had deep red roses similar to the ones of Will's first flower crown, but red carnations jointed the roses. Another addition was entangled with the vines in the form of long white thorns. On closer inspection Will realized they were bones carved into sharp points.
"At first I had feared you found my first crown subpar when I first gave it to you. Wreath making is not my specialty. I knew I had to create another that you would find worthy of wearing. I found the bones while I was traveling and thought they would make a perfect addition. I hope I've not offended you." Hannibal added as Will stroked his fingers over the sharp points. Will didn't respond, his heart aflutter and tears welling in his eyes.
"It's perfect." He whispered and smiled up at Hannibal. "I—thank you, Hannibal."
Hannibal smiled back and reached up to remove the old crown from Will's head to replace it with his new crown. The thorns in the vines did not dig into his head or ears and the bones did not tangle into his hair. Hannibal drew in a breath at the sight before pulling Will in for a kiss.
"Beautiful," he whispered in between kisses, and Will had to agree.
Will closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, missing as Hannibal reached a hand up and pulled a stray red hair out of the vines and released it in the wind.