Chapter 19: 16.| Embers Of Trust
Yuè gasped, and without thought he ran over to the injured wolf, kneeling beside his large form. "Oh Marcellus." He whispered. Yuè may have had anger towards him, but he did not wish to see anyone suffer in pain.
Marcellus let out a low growl, deep within the back of his throat, warning Yuè to stay away. It was as though the animalistic part of him didn't trust the silver haired man. As though some part of him blamed Yuè for the arrows embedded in his back and side.
But his half-lidded crimson gaze was filled with a mixture of rage and fear.
He tried to get up but his legs gave way underneath him, his growl turning into a pain filled whimper as rivulets of blood pooled around him, making him thrash around, his paw swiping in the air and scratching Yuè's chest through his white gown and making it turn red from Yuè's own blood.
Yuè let out a cry of pain, clutching at the wound as he scrambled back from the thrashing wolf. Blood seeped through his fingers from the gash and he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out again.
"Marcellus please. You have to calm down." He kept his voice low and even though he was in pain, it was steady. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. Please let me help."
Yuè, despite the stinging pain in his chest, cautiously approached Marcellus once again. He extended a trembling hand, palm facing upward in a gesture of reassurance. "I promise, Marcellus, I won't harm you," He spoke softly, his voice full of sincerity. "We may have had our differences, but seeing you like this... I can't bear it. Let me ease your suffering."
The injured wolf's ears twitched. With great effort, Marcellus managed to lift his head, his crimson eyes meeting Yuè's gaze. There was a flicker of vulnerability within them, a glint of shame.
He moved closer again, ignoring the burn in his chest as he shifted. "Moonlight, stars shine, carried on the breeze. River flow, brings you home, brings you home to me~" He sang as he tugged free one of the arrows. "Dark nights hold tight, with nothing but the moon. Shining on the waterbeds, guiding me to you." He pulled free another arrow.
Marcellus' nose twitched and his body shuddered from the second arrow, but when Yuè pulled the third out, the deepest of them all, he roared and leaped up seemingly on reflex, slamming into Yuè and knocking him onto the ground.
His breathing was labored, ribcage expanding as his large paw pressed to Yuè's injured chest, snout inches away from the silver haired man's face. But the steam from his wounds stopped smoking and his snout started shortening.
Yuè watched fearfully as Marcellus transformed on top of him. His fur receding into human flesh, his paw turning into a hand against his chest. Then finally, Marcellous' dark dreadlocks curtained around his chiseled face while he stared at Yuè menacingly. Naked. Breath still coming out in deep huffs.
He studied the man's face, searching for an ounce of awareness, of recognition. "It's okay, Marcellus. You're home now. You're safe." He gasped from the pain. There was a warm pool of blood spreading out beneath him, staining the white dress even more.
Marcellus' jaw clenched as he eyed the wound he'd inflicted, then he leaned down and lifted Yuè's dress. Yuè squeezed his eyes closed, feeling the man's tongue run over the gashes, muting the pain, but by the time he opened his eyes, Marcellus was gone.
Yuè's mind was still racing from the intense encounter with Marcellus. He couldn't help but feel conflicted about the wolf who had saved him more than once but also hurt him deeply with his harsh words and even his claws now. Lost in his thoughts, he began ascending the stairs toward his bedroom.
As he passed by some of the other rooms, his attention was suddenly drawn to muffled noises coming from one of them. Curiosity got the best of him, and he couldn't resist peeking inside.
What he saw caught him off guard. Emery, shirtless and looking rather disheveled, was entangled with a woman, she was bent over the bed and he was thrusting in her from behind, moaning his name, asking him for more.
Their eyes met, and to Yuè's surprise, Emery didn't look away but held his gaze with a knowing, almost lustful expression. He didn't seem into it before, but now that they were looking at one another, he closed his eyes, bit his bottom lip, and pounded into her harder, his hand going to clench in the woman's pale blonde hair.
Blushing furiously and feeling like an intruder, Yuè quickly averted his eyes and turned away, his heart racing. He continued down the hallway, feeling embarrassed and not wanting to intrude any further on their privacy. He hurried to his bedroom, his thoughts a jumble of emotions as he slammed his door closed and pressed his back against the wooden frame.
So much had happened in one night and his mind was having a hard time processing any of it. Gunter, the Hunters, Marcellus and now Emery? It all felt like too much. Too many emotions running rampant through his mind.
He tore off the blood soaked down, staring down at his stained skin. There were still cuts from where Marcellus' claws had carved into his flesh, oozing blood slowly. He still felt dizzy from the amount of blood he'd lost. Stumbling forward, he entered the bathroom, going through the process of making himself a bath in a daze.
When the water was drawn, he tugged off his undergarments, climbing into the scalding water with little care for how his skin turned red and stung as he settled in. He was so very tired.
His eyes drooped, all of the thoughts of the night drifting away into darkness as his exhaustion claimed him.
***
Yuè felt a warm hand clasping his, leading him deeper into the dark cave. He could not see the face of the man who held him, only his horns and wings that seemed to blend with the shadows. He felt a strange sense of trust and curiosity, as if he was following a guide to a hidden treasure.
"We're almost there." The strange man whispered in a smoky voice, his head half turning to look at Yuè, but all he could see was his lips twisting in a menacing smirk.
But then, the dream shifted. He was no longer in the cave, but in a familiar place that he wished he could forget. He was back in Ironedge, the place where he'd been banished.
He was surrounded by a group of boys who were bigger than him. They had found out his secret, that he was a man instead of women, and they hated him for it. They hated him for looking different, being different from them.
They threw rocks at him, hitting his head and body. They called him names.
"Freak!."
"Sinner!"
"Monster!"
They pulled his hair, making Yuè scream in pain. He tried to run away, but they blocked his path. He tried to fight back, but they overpowered him. He even begged for mercy, but they ignored him.
Hot tears streamed down his face as he curled up into a ball on the ground. He wished he could disappear, or die, or wake up from this nightmare. He closed his eyes, hoping it would end soon.
Over his whimpers and grunts of pain, he heard another sound. It was not his own, but theirs. They were screaming in fear and agony.
When he dared to open his eyes again, he was met with a grisly sight. The boys who had tormented him were now lifeless, their bodies scattered, torn apart by some unseen force. Blood stained the ground and trees, and a shadow blocked the sun and loomed over him.
"Don't worry," A sadistic dark chuckle. "They'll never hurt you again."
Amid the carnage, a hand extended toward Yuè, offering him salvation.
Slowly, Yuè's consciousness stirred, his eyes fluttering open to the ceiling dancing. No. He was being carried, cradled in someone's arms.
Blurry eyes looked up to see who it was, his head turning weakly. His body felt heavy and cold, shivers running through him, but he could feel beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. He could barely make out the figure above him as his head lolled to the side again. A cough tore through his chest sending licks of burning pain through him.
"I've got you, hold on. We're almost at the healer's house."
Now that he had listened more closely, he realized the voice belonged to Elarion.
Healer's house? Why would they need to go there? Was Marcellus still injured badly? "Cellus?" He rasped out, throat feeling bone dry. Why was it so cold? He shivered again, curling up onto Elarion's arms even more. "Cellus 'kay?"
"If you mean Marcellus. He's fine. You're the one that needs a healer." Elarion told him. "Your wounds are infected."
Yuè felt like his head was under water. Everything felt so distant and echoey, and he could barely make out the words Elarion spoke to him. "M'tired." He mumbled, his vision darkening around the edges. "Hurts." His whole body seemed to throb with a dull pain that burrowed itself into his bones, sapping all of his strength.
"He needs medicine, bad." Elarion said to someone else.
The sound of footsteps, then a gentle female voice. "Was it Marcellus again?"
"Unfortunately. He wasn't able to get back to his mansion to chain himself up when there was an attack at the border." Elarion's arms slipped from around Yuè, and Yuè could feel himself be placed down against something soft.
"Can you open your mouth for me?" The woman asked, her warm fingers gently touching Yuè's chin.
Her hands felt nice against his clammy skin and he leaned into it. He blinked a few times, attempting to focus on the woman's face, but the world seemed to tilt as his eyes shifted. He opened his mouth as much as he could, his hand still clinging to the fabric of Elarion's shirt weakly.
She poured something sour tasting inside his mouth, and Yuè coughed. "Swallow it, it'll numb the pain while I salve your wounds."
The awful bitter liquid made its way down his throat, a thick substance that made his stomach churn and he gagged. Whatever it was worked quickly as the throbbing pain in his body lessened, allowing him to relax. He slumped helplessly against the bed. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and dry, like it was stuffed full of cotton. "That was horrid." He complained, nose scrunching.
"Grab him some water." The healer requested from Elorian.
"Right away, ma'am."
"Now try to open your eyes so I can check your pupils to make sure you don't have a concussion." The woman's soft fingers were splayed against Yue's face carefully, holding his head between her hands.
Yuè's eyelids felt like they were weighted as he lifted them, looking up at the hazy image of the woman. Nothing was in focus and the world seemed to spin. "I am very dizzy. '' He told her before another painful cough tore through him.
Elarion returned, just as hazy, and placed a cold wet cloth to his forehead, then ran his wet fingers over Yuè lips to dampen their dry surface.
"It takes a few minutes for the medicine to kick in." The woman rubbed a cold gel-like substance on his wounds after she cleaned them, but Yuè was numbed now by the medicine she'd given him.
His mind was a bit clearer now and he couldn't help but frown up at the ceiling of the unfamiliar room. "What happened? I can't really remember much from last night."
"You escaped death yet again, and Marcellus accidentally injured you. He hadn't been back since." Elarion answered, helping Yuè sit upright.
An old woman with her hair up in a messy white bun smiled. "I'm glad you made it."
Yuè let out a weak chuckle that made his chest itch. "It seems to be a common situation for me since I arrived here." He gave a slightly bitter smile. "I do hope Marcellus was able to heal properly. He was in so much pain." There was a sadness in his eyes as he spoke of the wolf.
"Ever since he kil-" The old woman began and Elarion rose his hand up.
"Not in his lands. Respect his wishes even if he isn't in our presence." Elarion looked to Yuè. "He'll be fine. He usually comes back when the wild is completely out of him."
Yuè frowned thoughtfully. "It is his curse isn't it? The reason he gets like that. He can't control it." He'd seen it when he was in the forest, he'd seen it last time as he removed the arrows. The struggle that Marcellus went through to gain even an inkling of sanity and inkling of himself that was lost in rage. "Why is he cursed this way?"
"His father holds the curse. His sons are most important to him because none of his wives live." Said the old woman. "For every woman he marries, he kills within a course of a year. They tried everything, having him wait in between years, offerings to the old gods, and magic from Elysaria, Elarion's homeland."
So that was why Elarion had blue hair so dark it looked black and violet eyes. He was also an elf, though bore no pointed ears. Yuè wondered how he managed to get far from his lands when those of Mythos were enemies with the elves, even humans.
"They say Marcellus is showing the beginning signs of the same curse even though he's the second son of King Malachai." Continued the old woman as she gathered the bloody cotton and rags she used to clean his wounds.
Yuè's frown deepened. "And there is no way to break it? Why would such an awful curse befall them? Such cruelty to be forced to harm the ones you care for."
"There's no way to break it." She shook her head as she placed the bowl on top of a wooden counter.
Elarion sat down in a chair. "The particular types of wolves we were are descendants of Fenrir. We live a very long time. The king was said to be a ruthless man. He betrayed a woman who turned him human every night so he could feel what it meant to be free. But when he used her for more power and wanted control over mortals, she cursed him. Their love was supposedly forbidden anyway."
"The king didn't have a problem with turning human, he had a problem with understanding being human completely. The emotions, the empathy. Not all animals feel it the same way. She took that choice from him. But no one really knows the truth considering he never talks about it. Wherever you go the story is always changed by the storyteller's hands." The old woman added.
"Ànyuè, my babà told me stories of a goddess who loved a beast and betrayed her sister the moon. She was said to be the opposite of the moon herself. The dark half that reigned when the moon slept." Yuè said. Surely they could not be speaking of the same lovers. It seemed too bizarre.
"In LánWēi, the tale of Ànyuè and her counterpart Xinyue, the dark and light side of the moon, is told often. Of how forbidden love led to a betrayal that scarred the very heavens. What you have told me sounds very similar to that tale, but surely that cannot be."
"Why can it not be?" Elarion asked, leaning back in the chair and shifting his legs closer to the flickering flames of the hearth within the room.
Yuè stared at him baffled. "It seems so fantastical to think a story like that would exist. My father told me that I was named in honor of the goddess of the moon. That my mother's family inherited her blessings. So if that story you tell me is true…" He trailed off, lips pressed thin. Then Yuè was a part of the bloodline that cursed them.
"Then what?" Elarion pushed to know more when the door to the small cottage was pushed open. A steady rain and the sound of thunder came with a gust of wind.
"Yuè!" Emery pushed back his hood dripping with water. "Are you okay? Gunter told me he heard Elarion taking you to the healer. Did Marcellus hurt you?"
Yuè startled at the abrupt entrance. "I am fine now. This lovely woman helped me a lot. Elarion as well. There is no need to worry." He offered him a kind smile, though the last memory he'd seen of the man burned in the back of his mind. "I'm sure I will be well in no time."
"I'm taking you back home. I'll have her bag some herbs so I can put the pigment on myself." Emery walked over to him and slipped an arm beneath his, pulling him up gently.
Yuè grimaced at being moved. While he was no longer in pain, he still felt feverish and his body heavy with fatigue. He rested his head tiredly on Emery's shoulder. "Please don't worry about me. I will be fine with a bit of rest I am sure."
"Elarion knows better than taking you to that witch." Emery was fuming, his shoulders rigid as he guided Yuè out to a wagon along the drenched cobblestone path. Rain still descended viciously from above.
Yuè studied him, a frown on his lips. "I do not know the history you have with either of them, but I for one am thankful for their help. I may have died. It may not have been more important than your dislike for you, but for me I am grateful." He climbed into the wagon, shivering as the rain soaked into his thin clothing. Taking a seat, he waited for Emery to join him.
He heard him sigh before he entered the wagon and closed the door, the cold raining air blocked by its wooden frame. "Marcellus forbade him from seeing her. Her tongue is too free. What did she tell you?"
This was the first time Emery had ever spoke to him in such a manner.
"He seems to forbid many things." Yuè gave a huff. "She told me the reason for his anger. Of the curse that plagues your father and now him."
Emery ran a hand down his face, his blurry reflection in the rain stained window of the carriage. "You can not ever mention that in the presence of Marcellus. Do you understand?"
Yuè was quiet for a second.
"Do you understand?" He repeated more sternly and loudly.
Yuè scowled at him. "You need not speak to me as though I am a child." He hissed.
"Then stop acting like one!" Emery spat, his icy blood eyes wild. But then upon realization of what left his mouth, his face softened in guilt. "Yuè…I'm sorry." He reached to touch his arm but the silver haired man drew away.
"Do you understand how frustrating it is to be on the receiving end of everyone's temper? Secrets kept from me, rules that keep me caged. I cannot even speak without someone being offended when I did not ask to be here." He said, anger and sadness reflecting in the gold and blue eyes. "I will not mention the curse to Marcellus. I had no intention of doing it either way." He turned away, staring out the window.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone