Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Shoyo was hurrying down the slope hill in his worn shoes, side stepping the last part where the dandelions grew. He had jumped several times and more than once twisted his foot on a rock or something in his hurry. One would think he would have learned his lesson after seventeen years.

At least he was careful today.

It wasn’t a particularly hot day considering it was June; winds were warm but above the small village of Yukigaoka hovered a cloudy sky. No rain had fallen yet nor had the sun showed up for long.

Shoyo glanced back up at the road in front of him, hands gripping the bag hung around his waist. He could see the local farmer boys strut by the horizon, heading Shoyo’s way. It was far for the eye but Shoyo had the hidden sun behind him to his advantage and casually turned onto the small path leading into the woods. He knew this was land owned by one of the farmers but the small trampled trail was already used by a couple people who were in a hurry, and probably by the farmer himself. Surely he didn’t mind.

The farmer boys were a group of five, sometimes six boys who were the sons of the two farmers in Yukigaoka. Shoyo had gotten on their bad side since day one of school and when he was alone like this he’d rather just avoid them completely instead of starting something.

After passing the big stone shaped like a pig he took a right like he usually did, jumping over twigs and roots. The cool weather was nice for a change and he felt like going over to Izumi to play toss-ball. Or rather, bother Izumi to play with him since his yard was bigger than Shoyo’s. However, his friend was more interested in football so Shoyo usually had to indulge him with some in exchange for a couple throws. They used the same ball for both sports, a tough linen fabric wrapped in some hay. It wasn’t like they had any other to begin with.

When he exited from the tall pine trees and walked up to the tall ryegrass Shoyo frowned as a horrible smell hit him. It reminded him of rat shit or molding food. 

“Shit,” he cursed as another wave reached him, looking around with narrowed eyes, afraid he would step into something. He could see a small clearing in the rye to his right and with careful steps he closed in on whatever it was. His shoes trampled down onto the grass where someone else had already made their way forwards. Which was odd considering this part of the field seemed abandoned by the farmer. Shoyo thought he was the only one who passed here to reach his house.

Birds suddenly flew from the ground a couple meters in front of him. A dead animal, Shoyo guessed.

But as the stench got worse he lifted his shirt to cover his mouth and nose, holding it in place as he got closer to something lying in the field, something dark.

It was the boots that caught his attention. They looked new, expensive and were visible from the small trail Shoyo was walking on. Almost against his will he trudged closer.

Shoyo felt a shiver run down his body as he stared at the figure in front of him, an older man it looked like, with sunken skin and dirty clothes. There was blood, mostly dried and something leaking onto the ground by his head.

His eyes traveled up to the old man’s face where he noticed his eyes were gone, the sockets gaping empty at him. The mouth was lying open, yellow teeth digging into the ground and that was enough for Shoyo as he stumbled backwards, turning around to heave into the tall grass.

It tasted sour and horrible on his tongue and he was gasping for breath between each wave of throwing up.

His throat hurt and his eyes were watering; he couldn’t get the picture out of his head as he tried to calm himself down. The smell was still lingering around him, but as horrible as it was, the taste of vomit in his mouth blocked it out enough.

With shaking fingers he gripped his water skin that was fastened to the belt on his waist and cleaned out his mouth before taking three big gulps. He carefully put the cork back on the water bottle, drying his mouth with his hand.

The man had to have been dead for a couple of days now; animals had been there and some still were. Crows were cawing loudly above him and Shoyo cleared his throat, trying not to eye the still figure as he passed him. He would have to tell his mother when he got home, she would know what to do. Someone in town would most likely take care of it and move it. Maybe the farmer who owned the land.

A grunt further to his right made Shoyo almost piss himself on the spot, instead he flew high in the air with a silent scream. He stumbled forwards with eyes scanning above the tall grass to his right. There was a large, alone oak up on a small hill, also covered by the tall grass and Shoyo thought he saw something dark contrast the light grass up there as well.

“Shit,” he repeated in a whisper, bending down slightly and for once thanking his short height. His clothes were light enough for today, the color close to the rye he was passing through; hiding him well. If there were more people still around, possibly bandits, he would have to be careful. Maybe the old man had actually been killed and the murderer was still around.

Which really wasn’t likely considering the body’s condition. But Shoyo’s wild fantasy didn’t care, the boy’s legs trembling with both fright and adrenaline.

Maybe someone was hurt and needed help? Or maybe it was just one of the countless deer Yukigaoka was cursed with. Shoyo didn’t mind them too much; they were pretty and plenty of people said their presence was one of peace and a blessing. Those people were not farmers or people with yards though. Shoyo’s mother had more than once tried to grow her own sweet potatoes and cherry trees but it always resulted the same; the deer ate it all when no one was looking. 

Another grunt was heard and Shoyo crouched further down. He should at least check it out, especially if someone was hurt.

On light feet he made his way slowly towards the oak and could see where the grass cleared around the tree. He tried peeking forwards and his eyes caught something tied around the tree. A chain, he realized. It was exceptionally thick and looked incredibly heavy, already having left marks in the tree. Another slightly thinner chain was attached to it and Shoyo followed it with his eyes, turning further to the left. He took a careful step forwards to lean out from the tall grass only to discover that the chain disappeared into the tall grass itself.

The same tall grass Shoyo was hiding in.

Something felt wrong, something felt horribly wrong and Shoyo felt his body freeze. Ever so slowly he glanced further to his left. He thought he could make something out in the grass, the wind slowly moving the straws back and forth. And in a split second, Shoyo saw them.

A pair of eyes.

Staring straight at him through the grass, reminding him of a cat’s. Except those eyes were way too big to belong to a cat.

Shoyo’s reflexes were slow and he fell back with a yelp at first, scrambling backwards. He gasped out in fear and continued to stumble backwards, hands getting scratched up on the rough ground. As long as he fled backwards. The chain probably couldn’t reach much further.

But nothing seemed to follow him. Whatever large animal it was it hadn’t moved as Shoyo could still make out the dark silhouette in front of him.

His mind was already wandering to whatever it was that had been watching him. He couldn’t stop thinking the word ‘vren’ as his mind put facts together. It was way too big for a cat, and no mountain lions wondered as far down here. And Shoyo was also sure his mother had taught him mountain lions weren’t black. A large dog or a wolf could be possible, Shoyo thought to himself. A vren would be highly unlikely, he was just scaring himself.

Standing on two legs, demanding them not to shake too much, he walked around a bit towards the right, towards the tree. The animal was still lying in the same place but from this point of view Shoyo could make out a much larger body than he had imagined.

Holy fuck.

It had to be…

The creature was much bigger than the few wolves Shoyo had seen last year during the cold winter. A shiver ran down to his spine as he caught the pair of eyes watching him again. Either it was too tired to move or it was actually hurt. Because from what Shoyo could see the only thing moving was its eyes and chest with a very slow breathing. Shoyo was putting two and two together, figuring out the dead man had to be the vren’s owner.

Shoyo had only seen vrens twice before but knew they could range in size and appearance. They resembled wolves the most but their maws were wider, eyes more expressive and their paws were more similar to bears, the claws long and sharp. A vren’s ears were usually further apart than a wolf's and the teeth much sharper.

‘The teeth are lethal and can crush metal’ Shoyo remembered reading in one of the books from school. People called them monsters and demons, and not without reason.

The main difference, however, between vrens compared to wolves or bears, was the intelligence. A vren had a mind on the same level as humans; some argued less, some argued more. Shoyo had seen the creature only twice in his life, at two different occasions. Both had been owned by rich businessmen who were just passing through Yukigaoka.

The vren had many different stories of their origins but what most people seemed to agree on was that they suddenly just appeared. It was when the old war had started, and they were just there. And an odd creature it was, because it was no animal. One of the most important thing to note about a vren was their loyalty and their rules. A vren wouldn’t, or rater couldn't break an oath or promise. Which is what humanity took advantage of. Nowadays vrens were used as bodyguards, transporters and soldiers. They would fight for humans and follow orders of whomever they had made an oath to.

And they were absolutely ruthless when ordered to. Many called them the devil’s dogs and a lot of people didn’t want to do with the vrens at all, in fear they would out-smart them. As the humans knew, vrens weren’t stupid and could cause damage unimaginable to humans. A vren without ownership, a free vren, was instantly a danger to humans. The creature was made to kill; it was a skilled assassin and if ordered the wrong things, could cause a disaster.

And if Shoyo was correct and this vren, the one in front of him, if it’s owner was the dead man behind him Shoyo could be in serious danger.

Then again, as the human came closer and closer the vren didn’t even move its head to look at him.

“Hello?” He found himself asking, because he didn’t really know how to speak to a vren. He knew some of the creatures preferred the old language and some didn’t speak much at all. In school they learned that the vren was useful but also incredibly wise. 'Never underestimate a vren.'

The intense stare was still there but there came no reply. Shoyo gathered himself and carefully walked around to face the animal again, keeping his distance. If the thing launched at him he would be gone, surely. He wasn’t sure how far the chain reached but it wasn’t stretched straight between the tree and neck of the vren; so probably a bit further.

“Are… are you okay?” Shoyo tried instead and as he carefully crouched down a couple meters in front of the creature. He realized by now that the vren was indeed much larger than he originally thought. Maybe it was an old one? Or an arctic type, as he was sure he'd read those were usually larger. But then again, weren’t the arctic types always white?

The predator's eyes were still focused on him and at least a minute passed before Shoyo couldn’t handle the tense atmosphere any longer, clearing his throat. If a vren’s owner died, was the vren free? Shoyo couldn’t remember all the rules and bit his lip. For once he wished he paid more attention during those particular classes in school. As the son to a tailor he never even imagined he would stumble upon a vren alone.

He took a careful step forwards, eyeing the vren as he did. It still didn’t move and he carefully took another. Furrowing his eyebrows, Shoyo now got a closer look of the collar around the beast’s neck, his stomach turning at the sight of the dried and clogged up blood. It might be a controlling collar, one with spikes on the inside. He shuddered at the thought, figuring it would explain all the blood.

Which meant, according to Shoyo’s limited knowledge, this vren was being transported. Probably?  It did make more sense since the old dead man didn’t exactly look wealthy, apart from the shoes. He was just a transporter.

“The old man over there, he’s dead… but I’m sure you already realized,” Shoyo said, keeping his voice down. The vren still didn’t move or make any indication it was listening to Shoyo; its ears were lying flat against its head.

“I… I have water,” he tried instead and finally he got a reaction, the smallest of movement from one of the ears. Then the vren sluggishly moved its head up slightly and even though it was a slow motion Shoyo couldn’t help but to stumble a bit backwards.

Okay, he had to man up a little. The vren was simply moving its head.

“If I give you water, can you promise not to hurt me?” he said, fighting his instincts that told him to run.

“Yes,” a raspy voice was heard and it took Shoyo a good couple seconds before he realized it was the vren who spoke. Its mouth was just barely open but then he saw it move, only just slightly.

“I swear.”

“O-okay,” Shoyo breathed, gripping for his water skin and untying it from his belt. It wasn’t full anymore but probably better than nothing. And if he remembered correctly, there was a small stream just a little further from here where he could fetch more.

“Okay,” he repeated and carefully walked forwards, his body tense and legs ready to sprint if something went wrong.

‘He swore’ Shoyo repeated in his head, convincing himself they couldn’t break promises. He would be safe, and hopefully this might get him a reward of some sort. He could contact the mayor and inform him of his find, or maybe there were already news about a loose vren. He could possibly make quite a sum of that.

When he was almost in front of the vren he watched it open its mouth slowly and turn a bit to the side on the ground. Shoyo had never seen a vren’s teeth before, only in books and heard people’s descriptions. He knew they were sharp as the weapons they were, but he was still overwhelmed. Compared to a dog’s they were more knife-like and more in number. The fangs were larger both in the upper and lower jaw. The tongue was lying slightly out of its mouth, making the vren look even more like a dog. Apart from the monster-like, razor-sharp teeth of course.

“Don’t bite me,” Shoyo whispered as he crouched down, fully stretching out his arm to only just reach the vren’s mouth, slowly pouring the water into its large chops.

When his bottle was empty he watched the vren run its tongue along his lips to catch any water that escaped. Shoyo stared for a moment, still quite captivated, but froze when the vren lifted its head from the ground, eyes meeting his. The sound of metal against metal was heard as the chains moved and Shoyo stood up again, walking a bit to the side to inspect the neck.

“I can get more water, if you just give me a moment,” he concluded after a moment. He was no doctor, he had no idea how to treat something like that. But leaving the vren was dangerous; it was surely close to starvation by now. How many days had passed?

No, Shoyo would go get more water, make sure the vren was okay and then go speak to his mother.

“I’ll be back in a minute, just wait,” Shoyo said, almost adding a ‘don’t go anywhere’ before realizing that would make him look stupid. Which he probably already did, considering he went up to a vren without an owner. An alive one at least.

But if it was only being transported it meant the vren probably had a real owner it was heading to. The truce between a transporter and a vren was only temporarily. Just like the one it and Shoyo now had. Water for promised safety. Just a temporarily oath.

The boy stumbled to his feet, walking towards the end of the rye-grass until he reached the other side of the forest, now darting towards the stream he could hear in front of him. Shoyo crouched down and collected the water skin full before securely screwing the cork shut. The way back he thought about how he should prosecute this entire thing. Should he go to his mother first or was it even more urgent than he thought? The dead man seemed to have died from illness, most likely, and the vren could have been without water or food for days, considering the already decomposing human body.

When he reached the tall grass he couldn’t help but fear that he would find the spot empty, only trampled grass where the vren had laid and the next second he would get attacked from behind. Compared to only water, he was probably a better meal for the creature. Then again, he’d been taught that vren’s couldn't break their oaths; ‘it’s the entire thing about them’. But still he couldn’t help but to doubt. Probably because humans weren’t as trustworthy. And humans were what Shoyo was used to.

But the vren was in the exact same place, same position even. Its eyes moved to follow Shoyo as he jogged up to it again, pushing the tall grass away from his body.

“Ah,” Shoyo said as he waited for the vren to open its mouth, unsure of what to do when it never moved to do so.

Instead it raised its head further up, narrowing its eyes at Shoyo who felt his knees almost wobble at the sight, stumbling backwards in fear of the sudden hostility.

“Why are you helping me?” A deep, raspy voice asked and the human grabbed the water skin in a tighter grip, afraid he might drop it if he bolted. It had been his father’s, and while it was well-used, Shoyo kept it on him at all times.

“Well… you’re someone’s, right? Wouldn’t they want you back?” Shoyo tried, figuring honesty would be the best answer. He was still unexperienced when it came to talking to vrens, but he’d heard many stories about them.

“So for the reward?” the vren asked, eyes still staring holes through the almost whimpering human. He could hear the distinguishable accent the vren spoke with, it sounded a lot like old English, if not a bit northern.

“My mother is very sick… she can’t work very well anymore and because of that we can’t afford medicine... So if I got a reward, I could buy her the medicine she needs,” Shoyo said, staring at his feet instead of meeting the intense, blue eyes.

“Do you have… you have an owner, right? I mean a f-first one,” Shoyo asked, this time watching the vren for a reaction. As expected, none came.

Shoyo was educated enough to know about the owner laws, basically because they were pretty simple. There was a first owner, which fully owned a vren, sworn by the vren. A second owner could be a transporter or temporary owner; a lot of people could have this oath to a particular vren. For example if a vren was being transported by ship he could swear to everyone on-board.

“I do not have a first owner, and my second owner is lying behind you,” he said, his voice slightly lower.

It didn’t have an owner.

It was a free vren.

Shit.

“But you won’t hurt me,” Shoyo quickly said, half as a question, half assuring himself.

“No, I swore. It would not be in my favor anyway,” came the honest reply. Honesty. That was what they were all about.

“So… can you swear not to hurt me or my family, and not to run away if I try to help you out of that collar? Because I’m sure you’re in pain,” Shoyo asked, keeping his voice collected.

“A-and I’m also not quite sure who to turn to in town. Admitting I’ve found a free vren is going to get a lot of attention,” he confessed.

“I would advise against that. But it is not my choice. And I can swear a second oath to you,” the vren spoke, Shoyo now hearing the roughness returning to it.

“Okay… but drink first,” he said, almost sighing in relief as the beast opened its mouth, putting its head down on the ground again.

“Second oath, that’s like a transporters oath, right?” Shoyo asked, now daring to go closer to the vren to inspect the collar and chains, but yet not touch. The water-skin was soon empty and he fastened it back at his belt.

“Yes.”

“So, you can’t hurt or leave me?” Shoyo asked, abstaining from whimpering at the sight of the mess of dried blood around the collar. He could also see a tail lying curled around the legs, something he knew not all vren’s had. The ears in particular were also much longer than he’d remembered from the two vrens he had seen.

“I have to obey you in moderation. If you would lead me on the wrong way I have the right to question it, but still not escape. You cannot order me to hurt my first owner or his relatives in any way.”

‘A first owner that it didn’t have,’ Shoyo thought. It would have to obey him in moderation, probably until he got to a first owner. Which again, this vren didn’t have.

He leaned back to meet the blue eyes, considering it.

Shoyo knew he was still underage and it was another year before he turned eighteen and could actually own a vren. He could still swear the ownership-oath though, right? The vren was ultimately the one who decided that; human laws were only human laws.

The vren looked malnourished and weak under the shaggy fur, but standing up it would probably reach his shoulder, possibly higher. He didn’t have the courage to risk it, not with a vren.

“It’s not good enough,” he said after collecting the courage. The vren didn’t narrow its eyes or growl like Shoyo had expected. Instead it just continued to look at him in silence.

“I cannot,” it finally spoke. “You are still a child.”

“A child?” Shoyo snorted, clearly offended. “Then you can stay here. Have fun. Maybe someone else will pass,” he said, fixing his belt in place and moving to turn around.

“Wait.”

“Yes?” Shoyo asked, looking at the vren over his shoulder.

“I will do it.”

“Do what?”

“Swear the ownership-oath.”

“Good. Let me hear it,” he said after turning towards him again. Shoyo ignored his wildly beating heart. 

“What is your name, human?” The vren asked the same question Shoyo was just about to ask, making the human hesitate before replying.

“Shoyo Hinata.”

With a low and slightly resolute voice the vren pronounced the words, one after one:

“By my name, Kageyama Tobio, and by the east wind, the north sun, the west sea and the south land as witness I swear an oath by my life and honour to Shoyo Hinata to obey, follow, protect and sacrifice myself for them until the oath is broken, by them, by their death or by my death.”

Shoyo shivered as he watched the vren speak, then hesitantly nodded, unsure if he was supposed to reply in some way.

“Uh… are we done? Or should I say something?” He asked after a minute of them both just staring at each other.

“The oath is complete,” the vren stated and Shoyo nodded.

“So, like, I can touch you? Because I think I need to in order to help you with that,” he said, briefly gesturing to the collar.

“You can do whatever you like,” the vren confirmed and Shoyo nodded again.

“Stick your tongue out,” Shoyo said quickly, not missing the questioning look he got before a pink tongue poked out from the almost closed jaws.

“Ah, thanks, sorry, I just… you know, wanted to make sure,” he embarrassedly mumbled as he walked around the vren to crouch by its side.

It was quiet around them as Shoyo took a look on the collar, very lightly holding some longer fur to the side as it covered his view in the wind. The clouds were still as grey but might have gotten a bit darker, to Shoyo’s worry. The birds were still singing around them, the familiar chirping of the black bird usually surrounding Yukigaoka by this time of the year.

“It’s locked,” Shoyo cursed, already making up a plan of how he could sneak out the metal tools without his mother noticing.

“The transporter carried the key around his neck,” the vren, Kageyama, said.

“Ah shit,” Shoyo groaned, standing back up.

“Okay… just, give me a minute. I need to find a stick,” he grumbled, looking around him. He ended up walking back to the edge of the forest before he found a twig thick and long enough for his comfort. He didn’t want to get any closer to the body than he needed. But if he remembered correctly he had seen something like a key or necklace around the man’s neck.

With one hand holding his shirt over his nose, the other one holding the stick in a tight grip, he made his way towards the spot he had tried to avoid for the last half an hour or so. He could already spot the man and collected himself with two deep breaths before walking up to him again.

He looked exactly the same, which wasn’t a surprise, and Shoyo carefully reached out with the stick to throw the fabric of the jacket to the side. When the cloth slightly stuck to the body he couldn’t help but to dry heave once.

No, he could do this.

The key was there, highly visible, the gold chain tied around the man’s necklace. Shoyo easily caught the string onto his stick and tried sidestepping around the man to somehow ease it over his head. But it kept getting stuck around his neck and when the entire head moved with a particularly hard yank, Shoyo almost wailed aloud.

He only gave himself a second to collect himself, figuring he should do it quickly before he chickened out, and gave a hard tug upwards instead. Like he had suspected, the head came right off and the key flew high in the air. Shoyo watched it land to his right and immediately stumbled to get it instead of staying for another minute to adore his work of beheading the poor man’s already dead body.

Shoyo felt disgusted as he picked up the key with his bare fingers, the metal also a lot heavier than he expected.

He didn’t say anything as he returned with the key to Kageyama and neither did the vren. Shoyo crouched down on the side the lock was on, the hole at least clean of the blood. It was the underside of its neck that looked the worst and Shoyo already feared removing the collar.

“Okay, so as I said, there’s a stream just a little while into the forest. I can clean you off there and then I’ll take you home where I can bandage your neck with cloths or something,” he planned out aloud, mostly for himself. The vren didn’t nod or say anything but Shoyo knew he was listening.

He inserted the key and almost jumped when it clicked as he was turning it. The clasp jumped up and Kageyama let out a low rumble for a second.

“I’m sorry,” Shoyo whispered, carefully removing the lock to throw it to the ground. He pulled the chain through, slowly and attentively making sure he didn’t touch the collar. When the chain was through and dropped to the ground Shoyo stood to his feet, biting his lip.

“Can you stand?” he asked and the vren started moving, its breaths’ coming out raspy and hurried as it slowly and unsteadily got to it’s feet. Shoyo couldn’t help but to hold out his hands on instinct if the creature fell. But as Kageyama got to a slightly crouched state, Shoyo realized he already reached taller than him.

He was huge.

Much bigger than the vrens Shoyo had seen in town. He knew those had been the most common species, the Grey vren, but this was ridiculous.

“You are quite small for a human,” the vren replied and Shoyo realized he had spoken aloud.

“I’m still g-growing,” he defended himself and the vren slowly turned his head to look at Shoyo. Look down at Shoyo.

“I figured.”

“Follow,” Shoyo muttered along with inaudible curses as he turned towards the forest, holding grass to the side as Kageyama slowly followed him on shaky limbs.

“Just a little bit further,” Shoyo assured him as they walked over roots and rocks in the forest, the stream now in view.

It was quite terrifying to turn around and watch the large, black creature hoovering right behind him. The human had to constantly remind himself that he was now an owner of said beast, and that he wouldn’t try to kill or hurt him for no reason.

“You can walk down into the water, drink as much as you want,” Shoyo said, stopping to kick of his shoes, watching the large vren walk down on unsteady feet to the water. It immediately started lapping water and Shoyo watched with interest, eyes stuck to the giant creature.

The human shrugged out of his shirt and rolled up his pants, unclasping his belt to place it securely on a stone before wading down into the water. He took the key and washed it in the water with sand, only the memory of the horrible stench left.

Not until then did it hit him that the vren was gone. How could he be so stupid?

“Kageyama?” he called, fear in his voice.

“Yes?” The vren’s head popped up behind one of the rocks in the river.

“I thought you escaped,” Shoyo said, breathing out I relief. He walked the short steps over to him. Him; yes, it had to be male with its deep voice. Shoyo hadn’t taken a peek between its legs but figured there was no reason for him to actually do so.

“I have sworn an oath. Besides, where would I go?” Kageyama said.

“Have you never broken an oath?” Shoyo asked, careful he wasn’t stepping on any wet rocks before sitting on a dry one beside the vren.

“No.”

“But if an owner asks you to do something illegal? Or to sacrifice your life?”

Something changed in the deep blue eyes, but his voice was still as serious.

“Most things I’m ordered to do are illegal. And when it comes to sacrificing my life I guess I have just been lucky.”

“What do you mean illegal?”

“If you want to get rid of someone and you are rich enough, you can buy a vren and let it do the job.”

“As a killer?” Shoyo hesitantly asked, even though he knew the answer. They had talked about this in school as well, how the vren put the oath above all else laws.

Kageyama nodded.

“So if I asked you to kill someone, would you do it?”

“I’ve sworn to obey you, no matter what.”

“Even if it costs you your life?”

“Yes, owner,” he nodded slowly with a blank face.

Shoyo trembled from what he said but also the way he said it. What if he had someone he actually hated, someone he really wanted to get rid of. Would he be tempted? To point out the person and say the command.

He didn’t know and that frightened him. The key felt heavy in his hand and he wondered if he should actually remove the collar or not.

But it was hurting him and if Kageyama was telling the truth, it wasn’t necessary.

He regarded the blood-covered collar.

“You… you will have to lie on your side for this to work,” Shoyo said as he carefully jumped down into the stream, glad it was summer of all the seasons possible.

Without a word the vren obeyed, unsurely and with a slight frown, but he did. Shoyo walked around and carefully put a hand on its back. Even when Kageyama flinched he kept it there; he would have to do this and the sooner the better.

“Lean down a bit,” Shoyo said as he tried cleaning off some of the dried blood around the collar, watching Kageyama’s now closed eyes for a painful reaction. He was twitching slightly when Shoyo would get close or bare his teeth for a second before relaxing again. The second keyhole was now free and with some difficulty it clicked open. Dropping the key in the stream Shoyo gave Kageyama a couple seconds to breathe, finding out he himself needed a second too. It was scary, to say the least, but Shoyo gathered courage before putting two firm hands on the collar. It was made of two half circles and since the lock was gone it should be easy to remove, apart from the fact that it had spikes on the inside. Together with all the clogged up blood Shoyo wondered how he should go about it. Fast or slow.

“I’m sorry if this hurts, I’m gonna try to make it quick,” Shoyo said and waited for Kageyama to take another deep breath before pulling the collar apart, throwing it away. The vren was growling under him, his eyes shut tight and Shoyo gave him a minute before carefully running his hands around the edges of his neck. Cleaning off the dried blood that was left was easier as most of it had followed with the collar, but Shoyo still worried about the pink, bare skin on the vren’s neck. He was bleeding at some spots, but other than that it looked good enough for the situation. One look at the rejected collar lying in the grass and the earlier hidden spikes made Shoyo gasp at the cruelty of it all.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Shoyo asked, slowly letting the vren sit back up in the stream, the water flowing from the thick fur like a waterfall. The human’s pants were completely soaked from the water but he should’ve expected that.

“My right ankle is not moving like it should, but it might only be a sprain. Other than that I am just hungry,” Kageyama said.

“Our house is not far from here, and I have some dried meat” Hinata informed him, trying to casually inspect the vren now that he got a closer look. His fur was black as coal and a lot thicker to the feel than he had expected. Also softer. The memory of the other two vrens he had seen came to mind, and while both of them had been common Grey ones, their fur looked scabby and rough. Sure, running his hands through Kageyama’s black hair wasn’t like petting one of Shimada’s precious retrievers. But it didn’t feel like fir twigs as he had predicted.

One of Kageyama’s hands – because they really looked more like hairy hands than paws – was gripping a rock for balance and Shoyo absently swallowed at the sight of his claws for fingers.

But what still put Shoyo off the most was his size. He knew vrens could be big, some taller and some longer, but he couldn’t remember black-coated vrens in this size…

Then again he never paid much attention in school, so he could’ve very well missed something like that.

After they finished up at the river and Kageyama swallowed down the pieces of dried meat, Hinata asked Kageyama to follow him, making sure more than once that the creature was right behind.

It was getting darker and darker outside and while Shoyo had walked the thick forest many times before he still felt quite odd. He didn’t know if it was just because of Kageyama looming right behind him or because of something else. Maybe he had just eaten something bad.

“Wait,” came the deep voice behind him and Shoyo stopped, turning around. Kageyama had stopped, his head turned to the right.

“What?” Shoyo asked and found himself whispering for some reason.

“Get down,” the vren replied, running forwards to yank him down by his arm as Shoyo apparently was too slow to do so.

“There are people with masks and crossbows ahead. They appear hostile.”

“Crossbows?” Shoyo hissed in shock, turning to stare at the vren instead of looking ahead; he couldn’t see anything in the dark.

“Are they coming this way?” he whispered after a couple seconds of no reply. The vren shook his head; “No.”

The sudden thought of the mountain people made him pale. Could they be attacking now? Right before the summer festival?

The endless conflicts with the mountain people didn’t seem to get anyone anywhere. It had mostly been settled by simply staying on their own lands as far as Shoyo knew. He had heard rumours at the market last week that the mountain king had passed away and that people were moving in fear of an attack. He had called it rumour, however, as the people he’d overheard speaking were two of the old sailors who seemed to believe anything anyone said.

“Are the masks depicting animals? Like bears?” Shoyo asked, Kageyama replying with a yes.

“Shit,” he cursed. “Tell me if they move, we’ll have to wait this out.”

He patiently waited for Kageyama to say something but the minutes passed without anything happening. Shoyo could occasionally hear someone suddenly speaking louder or the sound of metal against metal.

What in Mother Nature’s name were they doing this far down the mountain?

“I need to go home,” he whispered. Something felt awfully wrong.

“It’s too risky to run out there, I can smell milkweed,” Kageyama said, Shoyo watching him narrow his eyes. He knew the mountain people were good with poisonous plants and flowers and it was what they used to attack. The arrows of their signature crossbows were most likely covered in milkweed then.

“They’re leaving,” the vren then added and after another minute of waiting he finally rose onto all four, continuing out from the tall grass. Shoyo followed right behind, glancing around.

His legs felt slow and heavy as he jogged past the vren to follow the familiar path that would lead him out onto the small field where his mother’s house would stand. Would there be clothes hanging on the clothing line? Maybe not, it had gotten dark fast and Shoyo could see the sun slowly falling behind the pine trees on the other side of the field. Would his mother have put out the jars of chanterelles to chill for the night? Would the ladder reaching into the pear tree still be there because she forgot to remove it?

There were no clothes drying in the wind, no jars of chanterelles and the ladder was already lying in the grass.

Instead there was fire. And Shoyo ran, his eyes widening at the sight.

When he reached his house he almost stumbled over the body lying in front the stone steps, but the bright red colour caught his eyes. He’d seen that shirt many times and couldn’t help but to stumble backwards in shock.

“Oh my-“ he gasped, knees starting to wobble at the sight of his grandpa lying face down in the ground. Shoyo wanted to fall down by his side, yank the arrow out of his back but he knew it would be in vain.

His mother and sister. He had to check on them first.

“Mother?!” Shoyo yelled, running up to the door and throwing it open with unexpected force. He could see the kitchen where the fire must’ve started, smoke was already surrounding him and he bent down to breathe easier. The colourful rug she had woven herself was lying crumpled, dirt spread all over the floor.

“Mom! Natsu!” he tried again, jumping at the sound of one of the beams coming down by his right.

“Shoyo,” a voice called behind him and said boy turned around, his teary eyes falling on Kageyama standing in their yard, head hung low but eyes meeting the human’s.

“She is dead. Her body is over by the well.”

“No,” he heard himself whisper, “she can’t be.” The heat from the fire was starting to become unbearable and another cloud of smoke had him turning and backing away from the house.

Shoyo somehow found himself freezing despite the violent flames dancing in front of him. His body was frozen in place, all sound and noises around him starting to fade away.

“Natsu!” he suddenly gasped, coming to his senses. “Did you see my sister? She looks like me, shorter,” Shoyo hurried, gesturing to Kageyama who slowly shook his head.

“There is no one around for metres. I have not checked at your-“

“-neighbours,” Shoyo finished for him, snapping his head in the direction of the wooden house almost hidden over by the road.

With Kageyama right behind he ran towards the house, frantically scanning the building for fire or any signs of a fight happening. When he reached the fence he watched Izumi’s father, Yukitaka-san run outside, holding a pitch fork in a firm grip. His face was nothing but anger.

“Shoyo, thank Mother Nature you’re safe,” he called, running up to him.

“Natsu? Have you seen Natsu?!” Shoyo yelled, grabbing the older man’s shirt for something to hold onto. He was scared his legs would suddenly fail him and let him fall to the ground.

“They took her. They took Izumi too, those devils,” he cursed.

No.

“Did you see it?” Shoyo asked, watching Izumi’s mother step out from the house holding a handkerchief to her face, the other cradling Izumi’s new-born little brother.

“I think I saw her, yes, it must have been her. They took Izumi when he went outside to get water from the well. We heard all the screaming from inside and that’s when I saw them riding away with a horse wagon.”

Shoyo couldn’t find the words, instead he focused his eyes on the ground beneath them, on Yukitaka’s old worn shoes.

“You have to hide, boy. They might come back and- Holy Mother Nature,” the old man suddenly hissed, taking a firm grip of Shoyo’s shoulder and bringing him closer.

Shoyo watched him hold out the pitch fork in a threatening manner, holding Shoyo close to him. He followed the old man’s eyes and turned to see Kageyama standing on guard by the fence. He was once again overwhelmed by the clear-blue, intense eyes watching him, waiting for a command.

“Kageyama… Yukitaka-san, its okay,” he said, struggling out of the grip and holding out his hands flat for the man to lower his weapon. Like he was the actual danger of the two.

“Shoyo, it’s… what have you done?” Yukitaka asked, his eyes unsure and frightened, moving between Kageyama and the human.

“I found him, hurt and on the verge of death. He’s sworn the oath,” Shoyo quickly explained, turning towards the road where the cartage must have continued. He probably didn’t have much time.

“Shoyo Hinata,” a firm voice called and he turned to look at Izumi’s mother in the door, her teary eyes now stern and looking at him. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I… I have to get her back. I’ll get both back,” he replied, starting to back towards the fence.

“Not today you don’t. The mountain people are still in town, there’s nothing we can do. Koji ran in to help but got shot, we could use a helping hand right now,” her voice brought Shoyo back to reality and he gasped at the realization of everything.

Natsu was gone. Izumi and other children from the village as well.

With stiff legs he walked up the stairs, Yukitaka leading him up the stairs with a hand on his shoulders.

Shoyo’s memory from that evening was mostly blurry. He remembered helping Izumi’s older sister sew the wound in Koji’s shoulder. The smell of alcohol and sweat, the sound of Koji screaming in pain and Izumi’s youngest brother screaming. His hands were bloody when he went to wash up and when he exited the washroom Yukitaka stood there with a bundle of clothes and other small stuff. It was things from his house. It was all he could save.

***-***-***

Shoyo woke the next morning with an awful headache. His feet were hitting the corner of the old kitchen couch he had slept in, his shoulders stiff. Opening his eyes further he could see the sunlight peer through the window and hit the stove, small dust particles dancing around in the light.

It all felt so silent, compared to yesterday.

With shaky movements he slowly sat up, ruffling his hair as he was sure it had flattened out against the rolled up blanket he had used as a pillow.

He heard the sound of Izumi’s mother before he watched her appear behind the door frame, a white scarf wrapped around her shoulders. She always seemed to wear white and light coloured fabrics, Shoyo recalled.

“Good morning, dear,” she smiled at him, opening the door to their food cellar. She bent down to pull out the large sack of oats, the scraping sound against the floor making him twitch.

As the scent of oatmeal started filling the house more members of Izumi’s family turned up, walking into the kitchen one by one. But the atmosphere was different, no one was speaking loudly, everyone seemed to leave Shoyo alone. He was still sat on the couch, staring at the porcelain rooster on the table.

Yukitaka has asked him if he wanted to come with him to search his house, make sure there weren’t more things to save. Shoyo had only shaken his head.

Then it hit him. He’d forgotten about Kageyama.

With weak arms he pushed himself from the couch, ignoring Izumi’s mother’s eyes on him as he made his way towards the entrance. The sun was high in the sky outside, the big oak tree casting a large shadow over the entrance by the fence.

But there he was. Lying on the side with his head up in the air, watching Shoyo with attentive eyes.

Shoyo stayed there for a while, feeling the wind grab his hair and push it around. He walked back inside again but left the door open, entering the kitchen and asking for two bowls of oat meal. She didn’t ask why he needed two, instead told him to help himself as she sat down on a chair, starting to breastfeed and gently rock the baby. She looked worn and tired.

She had lost family too, Shoyo had to remind himself.

With one spoon and the two bowls, one slightly larger, Shoyo walked back outside. He wasn’t sure what Kageyama’s diet usually consisted off but he guessed meat. Hopefully he ate oatmeal. He definitely had to be hungry at least.

Shoyo didn’t say anything as he opened the fence, with some difficulty, and sauntered over to sit down next to Kageyama. He set the bigger bowl down in front of the vren, suddenly wondering if he should’ve brought a spoon for him as well.

“Can you eat like that?” he asked, his voice a bit hoarse. Kageyama nodded but didn’t make any effort to start eating.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Shoyo asked, scooping up his first spoonful.

“I am,” Kageyama said, still eyeing the human like he was waiting for something.

“… Go ahead?” Shoyo said around the warm porridge, Kageyama finally leaning down to cautiously lick and taste first before finally starting to gulp the breakfast down.

Shoyo leaned back against the oak, his eyes catching movement by the door. It was Izumi’s older sister, her blonde hair tied back in a tight braid. Her eyes were fixated on him for a moment before she shut the door behind her, using a bit too much force than necessary.

***-***-***

Shoyo left the next morning. Only Izumi’s mother was awake and met him by the door. He had thought a lot about what he wanted to do and was now determined he was sure. She seemed to realize that, because while she asked him to be careful and think it through, she didn’t try to stop him. Instead she lent him Izumi’s backpack of shiny leather, the one his friend had been so proud of, and packaged dried meat and fruit, an extra set of clothes and a small medical kit. She filled his water skin full and opened up Yukitaka’s weapon drawer. She tied the holster of a thin knife to Shoyo’s belt but made him promise to use it carefully. Lastly she gave him a warm embrace, whispering something in old English against his hair.

And then he was off.

The sun was just in the move of rising and Kageyama sat obediently still outside, moving to stand when Shoyo closed the door to the house after himself. He breathed in the morning air, dew falling from the evening primrose, its yellow petals bouncing when the water fell.

“Come,” he simply said to Kageyama, taking his first step away from Izumi’s plot.

When they wondered through Yukigaoka Shoyo felt his eyes start to sting again; there were no more tears left, he was just tired of crying already. The market was a mess, burned down houses were everywhere, some still releasing smoke. There were still bodies around. Shoyo could tell some people in town had to be left because certain places had been cleaned up and some bodies were covered by cloths. The stone-built pub was still standing, the doors and windows closed and Shoyo could hear two people talking inside.

His hands were twitching to knock and check who were still alive, but knew whoever it was would try to stop him from going after the mountain people.

Because it was straight-out foolish.

It was common knowledge, children being stolen like this would be sold as slaves, most likely in the capital, the large city of Miyagi. The king had his castle there and while Shoyo had never been, he had seen paintings of the grand citadel and of the thousands of guards defending it.

Shoyo was a determined boy, but he would never have dared to go after the mountain people if it wasn’t for the large, ghostly quiet, four-legged creature walking behind him. He still hadn’t asked Kageyama what he wanted to do nor had he explained what he was planning. It felt unfair.

So when they passed the old bridge across the river he stopped, glancing at Kageyama over his shoulder.

“You can walk beside me if you want,” he said, watching the vren nod and walk up to his side.

“I should probably explain what I’m planning,” he started, keeping his eyes forwards as he walked, “I want to get back my sister… I know the mountain people are extremely dangerous and it’s a long distance to Miyagi. But it’s most likely where they’ll be bringing her, together with other children of Yukigaoka.”

Shoyo stopped in his tracks when they reached the forking of the road, east leading to the closest town. He had travelled by horse to Johzenji with Izumi a few times since his friend’s cousin Yuji Terushima lived at a farm there. The town was slightly larger than Yukigaoka and it always reminded Shoyo of festivals; it was colourful, people were loud and happy and they even had a brothel. Shoyo had never gone, of course, but he and Izumi had walked past a couple times, eyes stuck to the big-breasted ladies standing outside.

“I… need help to get there,” he admitted, staring at the gravel under his feet.

“You own me,” Kageyama reminded him and Shoyo shook his head.

“I know, but you must have friends or family too? That you want to see,” he said, trailing off towards the end.

“I do not,” Kageyama simply stated, his voice emotionless.

“So you’ll come with me?” Shoyo asked, glancing up at the vren.

“I’ve sworn to follow you,” he replied. Shoyo knew it wasn’t the same as an actual, honest answer but while he wanted to be as kind as possible and let Kageyama go, he was still frightened by him. And he desperately needed his help; his sister was all he had left and going back to school and moving in with Izumi’s family didn’t feel like a future he wanted. He had the chance right in his hands; to try and get her back. And damn right he was going to take it.

“Okay,” Shoyo nodded, straightening up.

“Let’s go.”