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telleriy · 5 days

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My love is an animal call

Rating: Teen and up, just in case

Pairing: Aether/Dewdrop

Word Count: 2.2k

CW: feral behavior, kind of lycanthropy, slight predator and prey. Nobody is injured.

Read under the cut or on AO3.

The autumn moon has a special power over him. When the trees are still covered with leaves, but the night air is already frosty and sweet in a special way, he finds it hardest to resist the power of the autumn moon. Even when the moon is obscured by clouds, Aether still feels its call.

Most of the year he controls himself. But the fall awakens something special, something ancient. It hides under a thin cloak of civility and waits patiently for the slightest opportunity to come out. Aether knows - he feels it in his bones - that others are also trying to resist; he knows that on the days of the autumn full moon Omega hides in the crypt beneath the main cathedral, convinced that the moon's power is weakened. Aether never asks if it helps; he already knows the answer.

He hurries back to his cell at dusk, closes the shutters, and locks the door. The moon seems to whisper to him, "Stop resisting". Aether covers the window with a blanket and lights candles, hoping their warm orange light will overcome the cold silver glow. The candles help him not to think about the moon, reminding him of other things: the sparkles in his amber eyes, the sunlight dancing in his ginger hair. The smell of heated wax and smoke drowns out the sweetness of the autumn air.

Tonight, he doesn't light the candles or close the shutters. It's useless since the moon has already penetrated his thoughts. Aether closes his eyes and exposes his face to the pale light. He takes a deep breath, and the light night wind touches his skin.

This becomes the last straw, and Aether surrenders.

Barefoot and unmasked, wearing only sweatpants, he climbs out of the cell window, slides down the wall, claws digging into the cracks in the brickwork, and then he makes his way toward the forest, walking upright one second and on all fours the next, keeping to leeward and hiding in the shadows of the buildings.

The night air is sweet and fresh.

The forest welcomes him with the rustle of the wind in the crowns of the trees and the voices of the night birds, the smell of fallen leaves and wet earth, as if someone had cracked the cap of a giant mushroom. The path under his bare feet twists and turns, leading deeper into the forest.

Humans are afraid to enter the forest after dark, believing that something dwells in its densest parts and consumes lost souls - and they are right. For Aether, the threat is non-existent. The two of them have some things in common.

His civilized side urges him to turn back and to hide in the crypt with Omega or under his bed in his cell, anywhere to escape the cold moonlight. In the back of his mind, his own voice whispers, demanding, begging, pleading for him to return, but with each step, the voice becomes quieter and the weight in his head and chest becomes lighter.

Aether moves confidently, not hiding but not making too much noise. At one point, he drops to all fours, as a beast should. The moon reshapes his appearance, sharpening his senses and drowning out his fears. The frightened voice in the back of his mind finally calms down, and for the first time in a long while, Aether takes a deep breath.

The night air doesn't feel cold anymore. The scents in his nostrils make him pleasantly dizzy. An unfamiliar, animalistic delight fills his whole being, making his heart beat faster. Aether suddenly realizes that he has already shifted from a stride to a light trot and is moving faster and faster. His paws beat a soft rhythm on the ground as he races through the undergrowth, leaping over roots and fallen trees protruding from the ground.

His muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments sing in unison, as he runs, a symphony sliding along his spine, pounding in his head, and he would laugh, but only a low, happy growl erupts from his chest.

Suddenly, something rustles in the bushes. A dark silhouette darts through the branches and foliage, long legs and antlers, and the faint smell of green and wet fur. He startled a deer. He briefly considers chasing it, but decides to run, enjoying the feeling of speed and knowing there will be time for hunting later.

His claws dig easily into the loose earth, leaving deep furrows.

The black trunks of the trees, branches covering the sky, swaying in the wind and catching in his fur, and then

there is a clearing. The moonlight, the twinkling of stars, the silver sheen on the grass; his paws slipping on the wet ground as he stops abruptly. The smells of earth, grass, moss, rocks, and tree bark are intoxicating.

When he raises its head and howls,

roars,

screams,

sings,

the moonlight hits his eyes.

When the agitated thicket falls silent, Aether suddenly hears a call, long and lilting. His fur stands on end. The wind brings him a faint but recognizable scent of smoke. Vaguely familiar, its bitterness tickles his nostrils. Aether inhales greedily.

The call repeats again - not a challenge, but an invitation.

The night air smells of fallen leaves, damp soil, and smoke.

***

Clear footprints, the trail winding between the trees, the bitter odor growing closer and closer. Aether thinks he can hear intermittent breathing in the whisper of the wind. He slows down and moves cautiously, not wanting to give himself away.

But when a slender dark silhouette shows up ahead, and the smell of smoke fills his nostrils again, Aether can't take it anymore.

His claws leave deep marks in the soft soil, and he lets out a triumphant growl. He lunges forward, but his prey easily dodges. The tip of the other's tail playfully flicks him on the nose, and Aether grunts unhappily, hearing a mocking trill in response. Catch up with me. Catch me if you can.

A fierce, pure joy overwhelms him. The smoky odor makes him giddy, and Aether takes off after the slender figure disappearing between the trees.

The moon sings in his veins.

His heart pounds in his chest as he races through the underbrush, breathing heavily and exhaling silvery steam. The slender silhouette runs ahead of him, glancing over their shoulder, amber sparks flashing in the darkness. Aether gathers his strength and leaps again and again, and again.

The wind whistles in his ears. He is faster, but his prey is smaller, lighter, and more agile; a half-rotten trunk crunches under his paws, the sweet smell of spores and wet wood hits his nose, and he pushes off again, stretches out in the air

- the prey bounces aside with ease, teasing him. He lands in a dew-wet bush, snorting and shaking his head in frustration. But it’s okay. There are no losers in this game. A shiver of anticipation makes his fur - hair - stand on end, and he prepares to try again. His prey cries out as he flies out of the bush and knocks them down, then laughs. Strong, slender arms wrap around his neck, wet breath settles on his heated skin, the bittersweet smell of smoke fills his nostrils.

The song of the moon in his head begins to fade.

***

Aether wakes up when the first rays of the sun break through the crowns of the trees.

After nights when the moon overpowers him, he sleeps soundly, but when he awakens it feels like he has not rested at all, and he usually wakes up cold. Now he is cozy and warm, as if he had a good night's sleep in his own bed.

It's unusual and strange. Aether tries to raise a hand to wipe his eyes, and he hears a sleepy grunt of displeasure.

Someone is sleeping next to him - or rather on top of him.

Someone warm, their breath measured and quiet; hot air settles on Aether's skin, on the thick fur covering his chest. When Aether moves, they snuggle even tighter and grunt again. They smell of smoke and fallen leaves.

Aether opens his eyes.

He sees the sunlight dancing in his ginger hair and on the polished tips of his horns.

Dewdrop rests his forehead against his shoulder with a sleepy sigh; his thin, flexible tail wraps around Aether's leg and squeezes it.

“Dew? What…" Aether struggles to find words. “What do you…?”

“Sleep," Dewdrop mumbles. His voice sounds hoarse. “It's still early…”

Any other time Aether would have listened. They rarely get to sleep together. Their relationship is a series of hurried rendezvous in secluded corners of the abbey, secret touches and planted notes, and any chance to be alone together, away from prying eyes, is worth its weight in gold. But now a nagging thought gives him no rest.

He suddenly remembers: the soft ground beneath his paws, the smell of smoke tickling his nostrils. The excitement of the chase and the anticipation. A slim figure disappearing through the trees.

“Dew, please…”

Dewdrop sighs again and gives him a sleepy, disgruntled look. Aether notices a dry leaf stuck in his hair and reaches up to pull it out.

“Alpha," Dewdrop yawns. Aether blinks in surprise.

“Alpha? What's he got to do with this?

“I met him at the cathedral tonight," Dewdrop explains. “He was... taking food to the cree... to the crypt," he yawns again, shaking his head. “I asked why. So... word for word... he told me," his gaze gradually clears and becomes sharp and attentive as usual. “But I promised him not to tell anyone, so don’t say a word.”

Aether snorts. He works with Omega in the infirmary and knows that Alpha takes every opportunity to pop in.

“And then it clicked in my head," Dewdrop continues. “And I thought, what if the full moon is affecting not only Omega? So I ran to the dormitory, and imagine my surprise when I saw you running towards the forest in nothing but your pants...”

Aether takes a short, ragged breath.

“You saw everything.”

“Almost everything," Dewdrop clarifies. “I didn't get close until you started howling at the moon.”

“And you howled back," Aether mutters. He wants to yell at Dewdrop, call him an idiot or something worse, but at the same time Aether can't be angry with him. The thought that Dewdrop wasn't afraid to go into the forest at night because he was worried about him makes his heart beat faster.

Dewdrop shrugs, as much as he can from his lying position.

“It was hard to resist.”

“But I could have hurt you. Or worse! I... I do not really control myself on nights like this," Aether looks away. "I mean, I don’t control myself at all. What did... what did we do?"

He's not sure he wants to know the answer, but he needs to be sure.

“We rolled on the grass, and then we accidentally woke up that eight-legged thing that lives in the thicket and ran away from it," Dewdrop's dark lips curl into a smile, and Aether doesn't feel angry anymore.

Dewdrop slides off him with a grunt and sits up, stretching his arms above his head. Aether watches in fascination as the muscles move under the thin skin. Then he hears something crack and Dewdrop gives a content sigh.

Disheveled, with dry leaves and needles in his hair and dried mud on his gray skin, he still looks breathtakingly handsome in the morning light.

Aether props himself up on his elbow and reaches to pull another leaf from Dewdrop's hair. He notices the smudges of dirt on his own skin and sighs.

“We'll have to take a shower when we get back.”

Dewdrop immediately perks up.

“Will you wash my hair?”

He likes it when Aether plays with his hair, combs and braids it, but they rarely get the chance to do so.

“What if someone sees us? It's morning.”

“They haven't even tolled the bells for matins yet," Dewdrop squints at the sun through the trees. “If we hurry, no one will see us," he rises to his feet with enviable ease and stretches again. He is dressed only in his uniform trousers, dirty and torn just below the knee. When Aether asks where he has left the mask, Dewdrop shrugs it off with a wave of his hand.

“Under a tree at the forest's edge, I remember the place. We'll pick it up on our way.”

He reaches out and helps Aether up. Aether takes the opportunity to lean in and rub the tip of his nose against Dewdrop’s and Dewdrop snorts playfully.

“Thank you," Aether whispers. He doesn't elaborate, but a smile appears on Dewdrop's lips.

“Anything for you," he replies just as quietly. “Listen, Aeth..." his eyes turn serious again. “The next time you want to run through the woods under the moonlight, let me know, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you when you're... like this.”

Aether wags his tail sheepishly.

“It's not usually this bad... Most of the year I can control myself. It only gets difficult in the fall.”

Dewdrop strokes his knuckles.

“We'll figure it out together. I'll bring you food to the crypt if you need it. Or I'll run with you through the woods if you like," his eyes flash with a mischievous sparkle, and Aether's throat tightens with sudden tenderness.

Hand in hand they walk back to the abbey, tails intertwined.

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