Chapter Text
The wind was howling among the mountain tops as the snow hid the trees. Sasuke held his cloak tightly around his neck, trying desperately to keep his body heat in and the icy flakes out. His red eyes glowed among the otherwise white landscape as he searched for any sign of life.
The herd of deer had come this way, the trail had continued up the hills and beyond the border, into No man's land. His clan had done well to sustain themselves through the summer when food suddenly became scarce, but now winter was here and their stocks were low, rationing had begun a few months ago and it was only getting worse.
When his cousin had found the footprints of deer crossing the border, Sasuke had offered to go after them. His father was quick to dismiss him, telling him no one went into No Man's land other than mindless animals who didn’t know they were wandering into their deaths. Monsters wandered in the shadows of the mountains, devouring anyone who dared to enter their domain. He insisted he should accompany his big brother and cousin on the journey to the village beyond the forest instead, hoping they had food to trade.
But he knew just as well as everyone else that the chances that there would be an abundance of food was not likely and the trip just rode on hope and desperation. So in the dark hours of the morning, he snuck out of the cottage with his bow and followed the trail up the mountain.
The split between the mountains looked as if lightning itself had stuck down to divide them to mark the entry to No Man’s land. The forest was thick, and the hills blocked most of the sun. Sasuke moved with caution, but quickly discovered signs of the wandering herd of deer, footprints in the snow and eaten buds on the trees.
He stopped to eat the bread he had packed when he’d wandered for a few hours into unknown land. The wind had started to blow up when he was too far in and it was too late to turn back. He hoped to find some shelter instead, but so far, the forest just continued with trees going up to the sky and no cracks in the mountains to slip into.
Eventually it was getting hard to see the trees before him and he had to take high steps to be able to wander through the snow. His powerful eyes usually gave him the ability to see more than skin deep and beyond the oceanline, but when he was barely able to blink them open because of the sharp snowflakes, it didn’t seem to matter.
His heart ached, what if he got lost in the snow? He’d never see his mother or father again, nor his brother or cousin. No one would find his limp body, the snow would just cover him up until spring came.
He heard a crackle in the woods. Quickly he sunk down and arched his bow, aiming for the source of the sound. He blinked furiously, seeing the shadow of something move among the trees. He held his breath, keeping his arms steady as he saw a deer step out from the branches.
He let out a deep breath, waiting patiently for it to wander out into a more open spot. It took slow steps, looking around cautiously. Had it lost its herd? Suddenly its ear peaked as it rose its head. Sasuke’s hearing wasn’t as good as his sight, so he had to look over among the trees to see the other shadow move. The deer quickly took off before Sasuke had time to shoot as he was distracted by the other movements.
He cursed under his breath as he aimed his bow at the new shadow. This one moved faster, and slumped as it walked. A mist was forming around it as if the snow evaporated when it came near. Sasuke’s nerves started to shake, that was not something the animals from his valley did.
Sasuke stayed low as he listened to the steps, two heavy and two light, telling him it moved on all fours, but with a heavier lower body and the long swaying silhouette suggested a strong tail. His bow began to tremble as he knew he’d encountered one of the mystical beasts of No Man’s land he'd been warned about. How foolish he’d been to walk where he couldn’t see any dangers approaching.
Suddenly a pair of red glowing eyes aimed directly at him. Sasuke gasped as the eyes moved closer, moving faster and faster. Sasuke stepped backwards, stumbling in the snow, trying desperately to keep his bow aimed at the monster approaching.
Out of the shadow came a creature, walking on all fours, yet possessed hands decorated with claws. The back legs reminded him of the ones of a wolf, or rather a fox with the bright orange fur. He wore a brown pair of scuffed trousers, held together by a thin rope, but nothing else. The face was human, with pointed ears among the blond bright hair. The tail was big with thick orange hair and white at the tip. Fangs filled his mouth, thick lines like whiskers sat on his cheeks and the glowing red eyes stared at Sasuke intensely. Where the monster stepped, the snow melted, creating a dent in the ground. A low growl rang in his ears as he breathed heavily.
Slowly, the monster stopped, staring at him. Inhaled and sniffed the air that blew harshly around them. The pupils dilated wide as a grin shower more of its teeth. Sasuke’s thoughts wandered, wondering if he should shoot, or if the arrow wouldn’t do its business, only angering the best.
“An elf? In these woods?” the monster suddenly spoke.
Sasuke’s eyes widened, suddenly very aware of his pointy ears that stuck out. “You speak?”
The beast chuckled. Sasuke frowned at the noise it made. “So do you.”
Sasuke eased his bow, looking the best up and down. It had a clear human half, mainly its upper body. He’d heard of other creatures, sharing bodily autonomy with flora and fauna who could speak. Speech for this one may not be an unreasonable thing.
“What are you?” Sasuke asked.
The creature took a slow step forward and Sasuke instantly tensed his bow. It stopped and smirked. “An arrow like that won’t do much to me.”
Sasuke watched it carefully, deciding that it was probably right. Slowly he lowered the bow, still holding it tightly in his hands. “Tell me what you are.”
A sudden wind blew between them. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and held onto his cloak. When he peaked them open, he saw that the beast stood unfaced, still staring at Sasuke.
“Do you need shelter?” It asked. “My home isn’t far away.”
Sasuke glared. “Do you usually ask your food to walk itself home?”
The monster burst out laughing. Its fangs looked long and sharp. “The deer rarely listen to me. But I’d offer you a meal at my place, I haven’t known of an elf that can survive an ice storm. They are a bit different from the snow storms you have on the other side of the mountain.”
Sasuke’s skin started to hurt as the wind flared up. The outline of the trees and mountain tops disappeared among the white. His body started to cramp from the cold. If he stayed out here he would die. If he went with the monster there was a possibility he would die. By pure reasoning, he at least had a slim chance of making it back home.
“Show me your home.” Sasuke said.
The beast smiled. “Follow me.”
Sasuke watched it turn around, turn its naked back towards him. It clearly didn’t view Sasuke as a threat, but he wasn’t sure whether it was because he felt safe around Sasuke or because he didn’t think Sasuke was able to cause him any harm.
The snow melted where it walked, creating an easier trail for Sasuke to follow. Walking behind it, he could feel the heated air that came off it. The snowflakes fell and disappeared before they even touched its skin.
They wandered up through the trees from where the beast had once come. The branches grew thick and the rocks appeared, growing into a mountain side. Through the blizzard, Sasuke just managed to see the creature slip into a crack in the mountain. He felt a heat radiating from within, was it an active volcano?
As he had not much of a choice, he followed. He held a hand against the wall as he walked further in. A glowing light told of an end to the tunnel and quickly they got in far enough for both wind and snow not to reach them. When they reached the end, it opened up in a big cave, but Sasuke gasped in surprise, he’d never seen a cave like this.
Chrystals hung in the ceiling, reflecting the light from the open fire to light up the whole cave. The smoke vanished up in a small hole in the roof, leaving the air easy to breathe. But he biggest surprise was that this was not a cave he would’ve figured a monster to inhabit. A bed and table were built out of wood, and while not as fine craftsmanship as the ones made in his village, they looked comfortable. The bed was made with a mattress, blanket and pillow and the open fire had a metal pot hanging over it. The walls and floors had rugs made out of animal skin, they looked thick and warm. Sasuke took a special notice of some wooden figures placed in a row by the wall, handcrafted no doubt.
“Are you coming in?” the monster asked amused as he walked up to the fire.
Sasuke took one step further in. “It just…wasn’t what I expected.”
“Well make yourself at home. I got some stew here for you if you’d like.”
Sasuke touched his belly. Just the mere mention of food had it rumbling. “I’ll repay you. I’m out hunting, I’ll give you a piece of what I can find.”
“I hunt well on my own.” the creature said, pulling up some bowls carved out of wood. “So what do I call you?”
Sasuke watched it pour stew into a bowl. Outside it had walked on all fours, but here it used mostly its back legs. Was it because it needed its hands, or did it have an indoors and outdoors walk? “Sasuke, my name is Sasuke. And you?”
“Naruto.” it said, placing a bowl on the table. “Have a seat, Sasuke.” Naruto smiled.
Sasuke cautiously walked over, pulling the chair back to have a seat. Naruto joined him, sitting across the table. Sasuke looked at him, it felt strange to be sitting by a dining table with a beast like this. If he ever made it back home he wasn’t sure if this story would make his parents laugh or force him to never leave the house again.
“So what are you doing in my valley?” Naruto asked, resting a hand on his chin. “I can’t remember the last time anyone wandered in here.”
Sasuke tasted the stew, it was pretty mild, but his prolonged hunger barely made him notice. “I followed a herd of deer, they’ve all left our home and we’re starving.”
Naruto chuckled. “So you planned on carrying the deer all the way back home? Enough to feed a village?”
Sasuke frowned. “What else am I gonna do? Let us starve to death?”
“No, but why are you out here by yourself?”
Sasuke stirred in his bowl, despite his stomach growling. “My mother and father wouldn’t let me come here.”
“Why not?” Naruto asked.
Sasuke was afraid to anger it, not knowing how it would react. But for now, it seemed calm. “They say it's dangerous.”
Naruto grinned, showing his full row of fangs. “Because of creatures like me?” Sasuke didn’t reply. Naruto snorted. “You can choose when to leave, but the storm is acting up. I was just outside checking my chimney, making sure the snow wouldn’t come crashing down later, that’s when I spotted you. Stay as long as you’d like.”
Sasuke ate some more stew. “If it’s alright, just until the storm clears for me to move on.”
“You’re not going home?” Naruto sounded surprised.
“I haven’t caught a deer yet, haven’t I?” Sasuke frowned.
Naruto smiled. “I’ll help you with that, it was kind of my fault you missed out on one before. Plus, I really want to see you try to drag it all the way back.” he laughed.
“Shut up.” Sasuke mumbled and scraped his bowl clean.
“Do you like it? It’s rabbit.” Naruto said.
Sasuke nodded. “It’s good.
“Want some more? I have a whole pot.” Naruto said, reaching out his hand.
Sasuke looked at the sharp claws in the strong hand. He’d jumped when it came so fast towards him, but once he caught his breath, he placed his bowl in Naruto’s hand who immediately went to fill it up.
“You can sleep on my bed, I’ll take the floor.” Naruto said as he returned with a filled bowl.
“There’s no need.” Sasuke said.
Naruto shrugged. “I don’t mind. My rug is thick enough, plus I know you elves are more fair skinned, sensitive and all that?”
Sasuke glared. “Sensitive?”
Naruto smiled nervously. “Ah sorry, I didn’t mean elves as in only elves, I meant anyone who isn’t…well, like me. My body can handle a hard floor I mean.”
Sasuke glanced at the bed. “If you don’t need it, why do you have it?”
Naruto leaned forward. “Just because it’s not a necessity doesn’t mean I don’t like to be cozy and comfortable sometimes. It’s a nice mattress, it’s built of hay and wool.”
Sasuke watched him for a moment. If it wasn’t for the long ears, the tail, the blood red eyes, it was like talking to an ordinary boy. And yet here he was, sitting in a decorated cave out in No Man’s land, with a beast that made the very snow around him melt. He was at the end of the day, not an ordinary boy.
“What are you?” Sasuke blurted out.
Naruto smirked. “Didn’t your parents warn you about me?”
Sasuke shook his head. “No I mean…what are you? A demon? A crossbreed? A wizard's summoning?”
Naruto tapped a clawed finger on the wooden table. It was an eerie sound, reminding him of how easily he could tear through flesh if he wanted to. “Was I mistaken when I saw a pair of red eyes in the snow? It was what caught my eye from the mountain top.”
Sasuke leaned back, it was clearly avoiding his question. “It was.” There was no point in lying about it, there was nothing to hide that would make a difference in whether or not it would spare his life if it came to it.
“I’ve never heard of elves with glowing red eyes. I know of the Hyuga clan with their white ones, but they’re not elves either, right?” Naruto said.
“They’re nymphs.” Sasuke corrected. “So no, they’re not elves.”
“Then…what are you?” Naruto asked.
Sasuke frowned. “I asked you first.”
“You’re coming into my valley, I have the right to ask first!” Naruto spat out.
“I’m an elf, isn’t that enough!” Sasuke said angrily.
“And I’m Naruto! Isn’t that enough?” Naruto bit back.
They glared at each other. Sasuke felt himself pull back, aware of how he lost his mind there for a moment, shouting at a monster. He continued to eat in silence as Naruto watched him closely until he finished his bowl.
Sasuke had pulled the covers over his head and yet he trembled. He could feel how thick the and warm the bed was, everything being made out of wool and down, but it didn’t matter when the wind outside was like ice that cut through anything that tried to create some heat. This was nothing like what he’d faced at home. Winters grew thick in his valley, but nothing that managed to create a thin layer of ice on the tip of his nose when his face was exposed.
He peeked outside to see Naruto curl in on himself, laying on the rug in the middle of the room, breathing peacefully. Sasuke’s teeth began to shake and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on his core. As long as your core was warm, you would survive, that’s what his brother had taught him.
The sound of soft ruffle made him open his eyes and the dark shadow moved closer. Sasuke held his breath as he caught sight of Naruto’s red eyes wandering closer until he stood above the bed. Sasuke said nothing, he merely sent a silent prayer that his family would remember him when he never returned and may they never know that he was eaten by a beast after he’d by his own choice wandered into its own bed.
But instead of being bit or scratched, Naruto crawled up on the bed on the empty space and with a sigh sank down to lay on the mattress with his back turned to Sasuke. With some deep breaths, Sasuke could feel the heat radiating off him and the tip of his nose felt wet when the ice melted.
Any other scenario and Sasuke would’ve labeled himself mad, but as the promised heat brought light to his worry of dying in his sleep, he moved closer, placing his hands on Naruto’s back. Naruto jumped at the touch, but just sighed and sank back into the beginning of his sleep. Naruto’s back was free from fur, it only started to grow below his hips. His skin was soft, muscles strong as they flexed and he was intensely warm without burning Sasuke’s palms.
Sasuke sighed in relief as his once numb fingers were brought back to life and he moved closer still so he could rest his forehead in between the shoulder blades, feeling how it was now easier to breathe.
The shakes eased, making him finally relax in the bed. The shallow breaths of Naruto told him that he was already asleep. Having accepted his death more than once in one day had caused a strain on his nerves like no other and now knowing that he’d face tomorrow, brought an ease to his heart that sank him into a deep slumber.