bsumone | Slightly less monstrous boys: prequel

It was some time between the World Wars. It was so easy to lose track of the exact year, and honestly, Su-jin didn't mind. He figured it out when he needed to. They were in Spain then, Tiras in some nearby city while Su-jin was exploring the more rural areas. Though Su-jin has definitely grown into an urban creature, he still enjoyed the quiet beauty of these smaller towns. He had a sort of wistful, romantic idea of them, even if they weren't wholly safe for creatures like him and his partner, specifically.

Even if people weren't as superstitious as they were in the past, even Tiras' brand of feeding could raise suspicions after only a few years in a small town.

Su-jin just happened to be walking through the main street toward the little general store to pick up a few things. The woods loomed near the edge of town, giving it a certain almost supernatural feel. It made the breeze smell clean and fresh, a little like spring after the rain. Su-jin liked that. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, things have smelled dirty to him, somewhat artificial. He much preferred the scents of nature.

That's the thought he was lost in when he happened to notice a man seated on a box outside the general store. No... not a man. His scent was different, more earthy than anyone who lived in a house in a town or a city. Some sort of forest-dweller. A wolf! But he looked pained and that tugged at Su-jin's soft nature. He approached with caution -- if this person was a wolf, after all, his sense of smell would be far superior to Su-jin's. And the vampire's fed within the last week, so... Well, he knows how the scent of blood clings.

"A-Are you alright?"

He smelled the guy before he was even close. A creature that fed on others. Not a vampire really but something that fed on more...meaty parts. But he hadn't sensed any danger so he hadn't bothered to really think anything of it. Silvio needed some fresh clothes since his were getting worn out from use but he was starting to get close to the full moon and his eyes always reminded him of that.

Palms to them, he tried to breathe through the pain but it...wasn't working right now. Damn it.

That was when he smelled the creature again and tilted his head. He was worried about him? Silvio gave another sniff to really get a feel for him. That blood wasn't human. Whatever this one was eating was a consistent meal. And he could hear ill intent in his heart. Caution but not ill intent. He was genuinely concerned about him.

"My eyes... Can you look for someone who sells something for pain? I'll pay you back..."

The money was the furthest thing from Su-jin's mind. There's a druggist just nearby and he glances between the wolf and the shop. He needn't tell the stranger not to go anywhere, not when said stranger was asking for his aid.

"I won't be long," he assured before scurrying across the street to the druggist's shop. It only took a few minutes (and not much money) for him to walk out with a bottle of laudanum in hand. Whatever was ailing the wolf, that ought to help him find some relief.

Su-jin hurried back over, crouching in front of the other to examine him for any signs of a wound. He probably should have done that before running off, but he hadn't noted or smelled any fresh blood. Now that he was close enough, he didn't see any bumps or bruises either. Some kind of headache, perhaps?

He held out his hands, but then pulled them back. Instead, he pressed the bottle of medicine into the stranger's hands.

"Here. It's laudanum."

When he lowered his hands it was clear that the eyes were inflamed. Something was truly causing him pain but it wasn't clear what it was. But Silvio didn't focus on that. He just opened the bottle up then actually took double the amount a human could handle in a quick swallow. It would take a moment but it would help at least and he shuddered at the taste.

"Ugh. They never make that taste any better."

Closing the bottle, he shook his head but his eyes clearly weren't focusing on the creature in front of him. It was like he knew where he was but his eyes just...couldn't find him.

"Thanks. It always gets bad when it gets close to the full moon."

So... he was a wolf. Then surely he had some idea what Su-jin was, too. That put them on even ground. No surprises.

Su-jin was hesitant, be he reached out and rested his hand on the wolf's knees, peering at him sympathetically. Those eyes were strange, they way they strained but couldn't seem to focus on him. It made Su-jin frown, but he wasn't going to ask if the wolf didn't offer anything up about what happened to them.

"Is there somewhere I can help you get to?"

"I live out in the forests. You can come with me if you want. It's probably better if I have someone with me right now." He didn't like that but Silvio wasn't stupid. He recognized when he needed help and this was one of those times. Without a pack it was strangers that he had to rely on.

Pocketing the bottle for later, he slowly got himself up rubbing at his eyes a bit before shaking his head. "I'll just have to get clothes in a few days after I finish with the full moon."

He paused a moment then tilted his head. "...I'm Silvio, by the way."

Ah, yes, this was a dangerous time for the wolves. Which led Su-jin to wonder where the rest of this one's pack was. It wasn't like them to abandon one of their own. Did something happen to them? It must have... Which meant this wolf was all alone and injured so near to a full moon.

Oh, yes, Su-jin kept track of the moon. Not because he worried about a stray wolf attack, but for his own feeding habits. He often travelled separately from his partner, but they were never ever apart for more than two weeks. Su-jin would get too weak and sickly if he stretched out his feedings any longer than that.

Instinct had him leaning in to take Silvio's arm, a hand carefully placed by his wrist and the other near his elbow. At his age, he should know better than to touch other supernatural, but he's never heard of a wolf that can harm you just by touching them. Who knows, there's always a first for everything. But Su-jin didn't sense any malice or fear from Silvio.

"My name is Su-jin," he offered in kind. "Can you direct me once we're in the woods?"

Though he could walk on his own, he found he appreciated the support. So he didn't turn it away and just allowed Su-jin to help him out. At least this way if the pain kicked in again before he was ready for it then he could have someone there. It had only been around a decade since he'd started dealing with this so there were still things he was adjusting to.

"Yeah. No one knows the woods better than I do."

He couldn't see anymore but that was one of the first things he'd taught himself after healing. Now even a decade later there wasn't a creature around that knew these particular woods better than him.

"It'll be a bit of a walk. Hope that's okay with you. I know you don't eat what I do because I can smell that. But you can rest there for a bit at least before you head out."

"I can handle it," he assured. The walk wouldn't be a problem. Even approaching his feeding day, he's still stronger than an average human. Getting back out of the woods? That might pose a problem. Hopefully his sense of smell will be keen enough to get him back to town. If he gets a little lost, it's not like the elements or lack of (people) food will kill him. Maybe him very uncomfortable, sure, but a few days lost in the woods wouldn't be the end of him... depending on the timing.

Once they started walking, Su-jin let silence fall between them. Until they were int he woods and his curiosity got the best of him. "Is your injury recent?" He didn't know exactly what the cause of Silvio's pain was, but he guessed maybe his eyes? Or some sort of terrible headache. He couldn't be sure, but he also couldn't help properly if he didn't know.

"It happened around ten years ago." Which already said a lot if he hadn't healed from it yet. "The pain gets worse when it gets close to the full moon. Otherwise I can live with it and not even think about it most of the time."

An ongoing dull ache to get used to.

Sniffing the air, Silvio made sure they were going the right away and became even more sure of his steps when they were in the trees. He wasn't kidding about knowing the woods well. Here he was familiar with all of it after having lived here over a hundred years now and after having to map them blind for ten years.

"There's no healing it. There's silver trapped in my eyes."

Su-jin frowned.

"Hunters?"

If it was hunters, that explained why Silvio was alone. And it tugged more than a little at Su-jin's heart.

"Yeah. There was a string of murders nearby and they thought it was my pack. Wouldn't listen to us when we said it wasn't."

Silvio let out a shaky breath. For him the pain was still so fresh and it ached to think about them. He missed them every single day.

"I'm the only one who made it out."

"They never listen," he snarled. So much derision in his thus far gentle voice. Hunters, in his experience, were fanatics. Most of them were driven to eliminate everything that wasn't wholly human in their eyes. A long time ago, it was easier to reason with them, but now? As far as Su-jin knew there was no one governing body for the group and so they all attacked with different goals and ideals. The worst have always been the ones affiliated with the various religions of the world.

His grip on Silvio's arm tightened, just like the feeling in his chest. It's been a very long time, but Su-jin remembered how afraid he'd been when he was left alone, abandoned by the ones who were supposed to look after him as soon as they realized he wasn't like them.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

It had to be so much worse for a wolf. A creature such as himself could easily live a solitary life. Indeed, his first few decades with his partner were spent very separate. But a wolf? They were communal, social. They relied on their packs not just for safety, but for society.

Silvio was quiet for a time as they walked. He could hear and smell the anger from Su-jin. That told him so much about what kind of person he was more than anything else ever could have. And it honestly meant a lot to him. He just...needed a moment to gather himself. For immortals, even one as young as he was in comparison, a decade was barely any time at all to heal from such a loss.

"They were good people. I was orphaned when I was barely able to even walk. The pack took me in and raised me until I was old enough to decide what I wanted for my life. I chose them. We only ever helped travels lost in the woods and hunted forest animals..."

He didn't need to tell Su-jin that but he wanted to. It felt...right.

It's always the decent ones who end up getting wiped out. Nearly any socialized wolf could live safely near humans. Yes, there were those who delighted in destruction, but wasn't that true of any type of creature, human and otherwise? Ah, this poor wolf. To have lost his family not once, but twice.

"I hope, with time, your fond memories of them will make the pain less."

"I keep pieces of them on an altar I made. I...I can't see it. But I have to hope it's decent enough for them."

Letting out a sigh, he nodded to a tree that had fallen across a river to say they'd have to go over that. But before they got all the way across, he ended up having to reveal something he'd been doing the whole way as he made them pause so he could tie some fabric to a branch. Because that was what he'd been doing, subtly cutting off pieces of his own shirt to get stuck to things to give Su-jin a trail back when he had to leave.

"...you'll get lost without me and it probably won't be good for me to lead you out. This is the best I can do for you," Silvio offered in quiet explanation.

This wolf was sweet. Su-jin had a soft spot for a little sentimentality. Especially when it came to the ones people cared about. Really, was there any sentimentality that mattered more? He didn't expect to be shown the altar, but if he caught sight of it, the vampire would pay proper respect to Silvio's people.

Those dark eyes blinked when he noted what Silvio was doing. A soft smile touched his lips. "A few days in the woods won't hurt me. I'll find my way out eventually." A pause, then, "Thank you."

"Now you don't have to get lost. You strike me as someone who doesn't like when you go feral. Most wolves don't like that moment either."

On the other side of the river, he paused to breathe then nodded in the direction that they needed to go. It was a bit more to go but they were making good progress. Likely because Silvio was the one that was guiding them. He doubted he'd have much shirt left when they go there but that was fine.

"You have a good nose I bet. You can follow my scent back out this way."

The comment made him uncomfortable for a fleeting moment. His feeding habits weren't something he enjoyed discussing, even with Tiras. It took quite a while for them to settle on a feeding schedule that 1) didn't leave Su-jin half-starved and 2) didn't leave him feeling immense and crushing guilt.

His voice softened and it was clear he'd dropped his head when he answered with a weak, "Others get hurt when that happens..." The same was probably true with wolves, too. Being maddened by some external force wasn't a fun thing for anyone.

Su-jin wouldn't insult Silvio by insisting he stop trying to make a path for him to follow out of the woods. If he was able to move through the trees and underbrush without enduring knicks and cuts from the branches, well, he knew his limits and abilities better than any stranger.

"Not as good as yours, I imagine."

"Yeah. Yeah they do."

Because people got hurt when he went feral and he couldn't even control his. He just had to live with it. But Silvio didn't bring that up because this wasn't a competition. Being any kind of supernatural creature had its drawbacks just like being human did. There was no point in trying to claim one was worse than another. It wasn't fair.

He did let out a soft laugh at the comment about his nose though. "Good thing you smell good then, huh? For the sake of my nose?"

Su-jin chuckled in turn. He could only imagine what he smelled like to others since he was basically, like most creatures, nose-blind to his own scent. Blood, probably. And those floral soaps and lotions he buys for Tiras. No doubt more than a little of Tiras' scent is on him. Beyond that, Su-jin has no idea how he smells. Clean? He didn't use a lot of the lotions and potions that modern people did. A little moisturizer, some deodorant. That was about it.

"Do I?"

"Yeah. Your skin naturally picks up on things around you. It's nice. The trees are already clinging to you."

Probably a predator thing but he didn't care. He could like it anyway. After all he was a predator too so maybe that was why it made him feel so comfortable. It didn't matter what it was really. There was that underlying scent but it was the world clinging to him that he liked the most.

"Here."

He nodded a head to a cabin that had just come into view for Su-jin. It was nothing special but it didn't have to be. Silvio was the only one who lived there.

Perhaps it is a predator thing. Well, at least he smelled good! Small victories!

Su-jin's eyes fell on the cabin and he gave the exterior a quick once over. It didn't look like there was any immediate danger to him. It wasn't even a conscious thought, just something he'd learned to look for over the centuries. It was small, suitable for a lone person. His lodgings were usually a little larger due to his fondness for fashion. He could imagine himself in a little getaway like this, but not as a primary home. He's too spoiled for that.

"If you like, I can come check on you in a few days." And probably bring him some fresh clothes.

"You don't have to. I'm not going to be any kind of a host." To put it...mildly. He'd still be healing from silver burns and then gaining the energy to feed himself. It never looked good. No point putting someone through that. Wolves were used to it but it was a sorrowful sight for anyone else.

As it turned out the door wasn't even locked and Silvio let them right in. He had them go to the couch where he slumped onto it and got out the bottle to take more of the drug he'd been given.

Shuddering a little, his eyes closed.

For Su-jin he'd see the altar to the pack on one side of the wall. A piece of something for every single member of that pack as well as candles that hadn't been lit yet. Otherwise the cabin was largely bare save for some furniture here and there. Nothing that matched since Silvio had gotten it all while blind.

"You can help yourself to food or drink if you want. I know it won't give you anything but sometimes it's nice to eat something that doesn't give you nutritional value. Just for something different."

"You wouldn't have to treat me as a guest," he assured. It was concern that drove the offer, not some burning need for hospitality. He knew the moon was coming up and without the pack to look after each other after... Silvio would probably be tired and weak. A little extra help couldn't hurt his recovery.

The offer for something to eat or drink was tempting, but he didn't often indulge in that. Su-jin had a deep-rooted concern that eating for pleasure rather than sustenance would lead to eating for pleasure... Even after all these years with a partner who not only could tolerate his needs, but enjoyed them, Su-jin still couldn't shake the guilt it brought him.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Slightly less monstrous boys: prequel

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