Secret Lives (Taken)

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Somewhere in his darkened mind he registered the touch of his love. The warm and which so tenderly brushed the hair from his face and touched his cheek. Somewhere deep down inside he took this as his reward for the night he had spent. Brandon remembered walking in from the forest with the herb in his hand, his memory was foggy because of the pain that he was in. They'd tried to help him but to no avail, he would not be seen to until they saw to Aeroa. One look into her eyes and he could tell that she'd gotten worse in the short time he hadn't been there. The pain became almost intolerable and so he sat when given the chance. The old man was quick to make a salve and apply it to Aeroa's wound. Packing it in as best he could.

Des, looked to Arthur... she was no doctor but she'd dealt with enough to know how to set a bone and bandage a wound. Part of farm life. She spoke softly to him but Brandon heard nothing, his mind was on Aeroa. She would be safe now and that was all that seemed to matter to him. Arthur asked what had happened to him, "I was attacked... we're on the run from were-wolves. I guess they split up to cover more ground. It won't take them long to find out we're here..." He winced and bit his lip to keep from yelling. Des muttered a sorry but was wrapped up in wrapping his leg.

Looking down at Brandon Arthur smiled, "The town will be ready, and it will take them a few days to realize he's gone missing. Plenty of time for you to rest. Besides, when they come I know of a few friends around town who'll keep it safe. No worries."

Brandon made his way over to Aeroa, sitting down next to her bed and resting his head next to hers. He wasn't sure why but he didn't want to sleep anywhere but next to her. Perhaps that was simply what lovers did. But sleep did not seem as acceptable without her being near. Arthur and Des left them both to their sleep and put their own children to bed. And that was all he remembered before the darkness of sleep took him.

Warmth was the first thing that Brandon felt when his body began to rouse itself from slumber, it was also very bright. There was a dull throbbing in his leg but his shoulder felt clean and only hurt as he began to try and move it. Stirring he began to open his eyes, only to be greeted by the beautiful blue eyes of Aeroa. His breath caught in his throat for a moment before he realized that she was real. Reaching up he put his hand over hers on his cheek and just smiled. Looking out, it was clearly almost midday, the sun was coming through the windows and warming his entire body. "Aeroa, are you alright?" He asked, wanting to make sure that all that was for something, her comfort, her life... the pain would be worth that.

Des walked in and saw that they were both awake but decided she'd be better off to give them a moment. It reminded her of Arthur and a younger Des. She smiled for a moment and went, fetching them a bit of bread, a few fruits, and some cold water from the spring on their farm. Arthur was working in the fields and wouldn't be back until closer to nightfall. She would look after them until then. She stepped in and smiled, "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I figured you two might be hungry..."
 
Aeroa was happy to see Brandon waking, his eyes meeting hers. They were soft, the same beautiful color they always were, the same quality to them. Inviting. Loving. She couldn't help but to smile. She felt his hand being placed of hers, and she moved her hand from his cheek to intertwine her fingers with his. Then he asked if she was alright. She gave a small nod, she could still feel the pain, and the weakness, she still didn't feel like she could manage to get up on her own, but Brandon didn't need to know that. A few meals and she was certain that things would be back to normal. "Yes, of course. Wasn't that bad anyway." Aeroa's voice grew softer. "What happened to you?" she wanted to pour her will out to heal whatever had befallen him.

There wasn't much that Aeroa could pay attention to as she waited for Brandon to reply. Her mind swirled around in the possibilities, a piece of her felt relieved that he had come back. A sword fight? An animal? Aeroa's horrible nightmares came back to her, giving her all the possible scenes that could have taken place to result in such an injury. She only felt more worried, would they have to leave now? Hide? Seek shelter? Aeroa hadn't been unable to fight for a long time, and the thought of it maybe her uneasy. If the werewolves came after them now, there would be nothing left at the end..

Aeroa hardly noticed Des walk in the second time. She was caught up in Brandon, and the scenes and waiting for an explanation. Aeroa could almost smell the bread though. The aroma lured her in, but she didn't move. Aeroa figured that if she did, then it would be too noticeable she hadn't made a full recovery. She heard the lady speak, it was about being hungry. Aeroa was hungry, she was starving, more so than she would have been happy to admit. But Aeroa refused to let herself be taken in by the bread, first things first, Brandon. He was more important, what had happened was more important. If it was a werewolf, Aeroa would need to know, because a certain series of actions would have to take place. They'd need to leave immediately. And Aeroa's thoughts ventured off again. The werewolves were tearing their lives apart, and she couldn't help but to feel tangled in strings they were pulling. Aeroa didn't want to bring such problems to this little town.
 
The face of Aeroa, Brandon was sure that she could charm any soul that she desired... how had the world of men simply looked over her beauty? Had she just never been seen? Noticed? It seemed more likely than the idea that she was just not desirable. Yet, that was part of the reason that those men had to be chasing her? She had never actually told him what happened. Why those men were chasing them... perhaps that was it. They lusted for her as only evil beings could. It seemed fitting enough for men such as that.

"Nothing important, you're alive and I'm alive... we're safe. That's all that matters now." He said in a rather pathetic attempt to hide his injuries, they were well taken care of and he felt no pain. The look that Aeroa gave him though, he knew that it wasn't enough to satisfy her curiosity as to what may have happened. Somewhere deep down he knew that it wouldn't, he just wanted to feel like he hadn't brushed so close to death. That she had not been in the same situation as well. All of this 'adventure' had been danger and fear. This wasn't how he'd planned for things to go, no, that's not how the stories ended. And yet, Brandon was the last person to believe that stories always ended the way you wanted to. Sometimes you just had to make it happen for yourself. However, for once in his life Brandon really thought that perhaps... just for a small moment... that they could have that ending. That was back in Gratanis, now they were... somewhere.

Looking into her face he frowned, "I'm sorry... I just don't want you to worry. I was attacked. One of them found me, I walked into him while I was searching for the herb to heal you. The sprawling herb. I couldn't find it until I went into the woods. That's when he found me. He changed and we fought." He looked down at his shoulder as best he could and yet could only turn his head so far because of the wound there. The teeth marks went deep. Then he looked down at his leg, it was set and splinted. He wouldn't be walking on it for some time. They would be here for awhile. "He managed to break my knee but I killed him..." Brandon went silent, the look in the wolf's eyes. It hadn't been easy and yet Brandon had been left with no other option. He felt more animal then man at this moment then he ever had. "And then I hobbled my way back here, on my one good leg to make sure that..." Again he was confronted with the idea that Aeroa could have died. That wasn't easy and yet seemed to take the pain of killing the wolf away somewhat. "you were here."

Des asked if they wanted some bread, he looked over and saw the bread, the fruit, and the drink. It was exactly what his body craved at the moment. "Yes, please. Thank you." Brandon knew that Aeroa was likely hungry as well, neither had eaten since yesterday morning. Des delivered their bread and smiled as she made her way to a stool and sat to watch them. Hoping that they enjoyed their food, her husband was really the only person that ate her food. She knew she wasn't a good cook, or baker, but she did her best. Her husband wasn't much of a judge.

"Don't worry, please... my husband says it will take them some time to realize that one of their own is missing. Besides, my husband and his friends are all weres and will protect this town. The wolves know not to come here." She smiled at them both, almost dreamily... her husband had saved her life, that was how they had met. "It seems my husband and I are not all that different from the two of you. How did you meet?"
 
Aeroa listened intently, so it was a Were.. "Are you okay?" Obviously, she could see him, and he was talking and conscious, but she was still worried about him. She wanted to make them pay, she wanted to get out of bed and go hunt them down. How dare they. She was used to them going after her, but Brandon? Why him? She'd hurt them the way they hurt him. She hated them, and everything they did just made her hate them more. One day she would kill the head. The one who made all the orders, who rounded up the followers. Then their lives would be normal. Maybe if she could find more were-tigers, they'd help her. They could band together. Werewolves against weretigers. Aeroa shook her head, she needn't go to such extremes.

"Hun, I'm sorry. I would've done something. Protected you." She lightly stroked his thumb of the hand she was holding, and she kissed his cheek, pulling him into a very careful and short hug. With his condition, and hers, they wouldn't be able to move. There'd be no travelling for a while, not until they were well enough. Defenseless. She could only hope the town was as good as Des said. Des, she had offered them food. That was what Aeroa's body really wanted. Brandon spoke, accepting the food, and Aeroa couldn't help but to chow down on her food rather quickly. The bread and the fruit were good, nothing Aeroa could find to complain about, and drank the water. Her body had probably started dehydrating from lack of water.

Upon hearing the question Aeroa looked at Brandon. She had been walking in the street, when she walked into the werewolves. They attacked, and Brandon had saved her. She took a few hits, but it wasn't much.. enough to swell her cheek. Brandon had taken her back to his house, and patched her up. Brandon saved her life. It had been a while since she had actually thought of how they met, all the details. Usually it only passed her mind as him saving her, but looking back, how well he did it. It was graceful, skilled. He walked up, like a shadow, then sprinted out and attack. He didn't even attack to kill. It was peculiar. But his eyes, those were what captivated her from the start.

Finally, Aeroa spoke, "He saved me, from.. the werewolves that are still, attacking us." She squeezed Brandon's hand a little. She wasn't sure if she should add how he took her in, and gave her a job, which admittedly didn't last that long, as they both were too caught up in each other to do much house-keeping. Though, as she talked to more people other than Brandon she realized, she was still quiet, the only thing that had really changed was her conversations with him. She could carry on a storm while they talked, and she would enjoy it, but when it came to talking to other people she would fall quiet again. Maybe she was just shy. That had to be it. Would sum her up pretty nicely.
 
Looking into Aeroa's eyes, he wasn't sure ho, but Brandon could sometimes tell what she was thinking. She seemed to answer her own question and then she stayed silent. Brandon was clueless as to what she might have been thinking but he knew that she was upset. Upset that they'd hurt him, he'd have felt the same way if it had been her that had gotten hurt. He'd always felt that way about Granny Sophie, Ralph, and John... they were his friends, he would be deeply angry about their enemies. Yet Aeroa... this must have been the first time for her. Maybe not. But the way she looked at him, he had a pretty good idea. "I'm fine, don't worry... they took good care of me while you slept..." he let his voice trail off once more. Trying his best not to let his mind think about how close to death she'd been. Now that, was a first for him.

When asked about how they'd met, Aeroa gave a somewhat cryptic answer, it only made Brandon smile thought because of the fact that it was very much how she'd been the first time they met. How quiet, shy, and alluring she'd been. She seemed to never say more then needed and yet she'd always drawn him in. Looking over at Des, she was a little more confused. "We met in Gratanis, I lived there which is where they found her the first time. They tried to attack her and I fended them off. Took her back with me, where she ate me out of house and home..." he looked over at Aeroa and made sure to smile because it was their inside joke. "They managed to find us though and we knew that we couldn't stay there. So now we're on the run."

Des smiled at the two of them, to be young and in love... now she had kids and was happy to be married. But she wondered what her life might have been with a little more adventure. "Well, you'll stay with us while you're here. I don't think you'll get very far as you are. Besides, I could use the company." She laughed and stood up to get back to the various tasks that she had to do around the house.

It wasn't until that evening that Arthur returned home, he was covered in sweat, dirt, grime, and yet he seemed to beam as he opened the door and saw his wife. Walking over he immediately surrendered his attention to her and gave her affection before turning to each of his kids and greeting them one by one. Then he sent them into the room where Aeroa and Brandon were. "Mom and dad would like to know if you want us to help you to the table to eat dinner with us?" The other child seemed to become curious as he ventured further into the room. "Or you could eat in here they said, you choice..."
 
Aeroa couldn't help but to gaze back at Brandon, those eyes that always seemed to capture her, and draw her in. But more than just his eyes, the structure of his face, the way his cheeks were shaped, even the design of his lips all seemed perfect. The way her hand fit into his, how he smiled. It was no wonder that she had begun to fall in love with him so quickly before. It was no wonder that many girls were after him, but she shook her head slightly remembering they all wanted the money. There wasn't much meaning for money to Aeroa, it was something that was received and given just as quickly. There and gone, like many other things, but it served almost no purpose in the life that she used to live.

Aeroa watched as Brandon began to talk about how they met. He gave many more details. He explained how he took her home.. and how she ate a lot of his food. She gave a small smile, she'd never live that down.. All she would need is something to tease him about. To be even. She laughed a little at the thought, and she felt the wound that hadn't bothered her. She had practically forgotten that it was there, the herb must have been really strong. Aeroa watched as Des smiled, and reminisced about the memories with her husband. It was odd to think that they would have to stay here, in this house. Someone else's house.. Then Des left and Aeroa looked at Brandon again.

When Arthur returned home, Des happily took him in. Wrapped her arms around him, embracing him and kissing him gently, before he turned his attention to the children. She couldn't have been happier with her family, the children were sent in to see what the two guests wanted as Des happily set the table with her husband. She had prepared a lovely feast, having heard that the lady could eat a lot, and having seen how hungry the two were for bread earlier. There was fresh pork, and an assortment of vegetables.

Aeroa was carefully cuddled up to Brandon when the children walked in, they wanted to know if they would be eating dinner out with the family or in the room. Aeroa looked over at Brandon. They had spent all day in the room almost, and to Aeroa it was more than enough. She was dying to go somewhere, maybe even just for a walk. After having a time out in the forest she was longing it again. Maybe she would be permitted to go after supper, if she could convince Brandon she would be fine. "We can eat out there, I'll help you love." Aeroa showed surprise at her own wording choice, but she smiled, it was fitting, he was, wasn't he? When Aeroa stood up, she felt the blood rush to her head, and it caught her off balance, but she grabbed the edge of the bed and waited for it to pass. She should have known to wait a bit before standing up so quickly, especially after having such a horrible fever. Brandon gave her a concerned gaze but she smiled, "Forgot to take my time." She offered him as a hand as the children helped them both, and within a matter of moments they were seated at the table. It made Aeroa feel a little funny.
 
"I'll help you love." They were soft, caring, just how Brandon imagined Aeroa saying them. It was her style, soft, quiet, and beautifully simple. That only seemed to give greater force to the words which seemed to enter his ears and warm him to the very core. Why was it that these words seemed to surprise him? They were only natural for a couple such as Aeroa and Brandon. They were in love, it was a pet name that couples could use for one another. Suddenly, it was as if everything were a little clearer to him. He wasn't sure why but he was happier in that moment. Was this some sort of cosmic reward for last night's dire situation? Even that seemed to good to be true, but one thing seemed certain to him. She meant it. She considered him her "love".

They made their way carefully out to the table, Brandon wasn't quite sure just how much his leg was paining him until that moment. Last night, he must have been on adrenaline to get home. With Aeroa at his side though it was easily managed. However eating with one hand, that was a different story. The other arm was far too sore to try and use for eating but he carried on as best he could to eat what food there was on the table. It was all delicious, "So tell me... how did you two come to live here?" Brandon asked, wanting to spark a little conversation with their very generous guests?

Arthur smiled, "My family moved here from some of the southern cities... my father never really explained why. But we came upon this town, it was run by a wolf. A were by the name of Andre." He looked over at his wife, remembering the day they had met well. Most of the town had no idea that he was a were, only that the bandits occupied the town. They only ever changed at night which gave the townsfolk reason to believe that the bandits actually were protecting them from wolves. They took advantage of that power though and used it against the town... taking what they wanted, who they wanted..." He looked over at the two and smiled almost pride-fully as he spoke the next statement. "Well, I couldn't just let them have their way so my father decided that we would help the town. Within a few nights the city was rid of the weres, and bandits."

"Daddy was super strong!" One of the kids piped in with a cheer as Arthur began to laugh.

"Yes, well daddy also had a lot of help. However when my father decided that it was time to leave..." he reached out and took Des' hand squeezing it gently. "I had to tell him that I would not be accompanying him. Several others had their hearts stolen by the beautiful women of Solines and we parted ways. All of us that stayed have been slaves to these women ever since." He finished his story with a laugh.

One of the children, the daughter, her name was Elise was staring at Aeroa, "You must have come from a town of beautiful women too! Where are you two traveling from?" She asked with the curiosity of a child.

Brandon laughed lightly and looked the young girl straight in the eyes, "I couldn't agree with you more, young lady. I come from the town of Gratanis, not far from here."

The young girl's eyes widened for a moment, "That's the big city! What's it like there?!"

Brandon smiled, "It's like a beacon, shining, like the candles of an inn inviting all to come in. Have a drink and a meal. Enjoy the company of friends, family, and good music. Art and creativity abound..." he stopped for a moment realizing that he could go on and on. But that wasn't all, there was a certain quiet beauty to the forests around them. "However, this is the first time I have left that city and I must say... the forest is it's own beauty all together."
 
Aeroa ate her food a bit quietly, not exactly sure of what to say, as she was mostly concentrated on not scarfing anything down. She was hungry, there was no denying that. It was good, satisfying. She looked up as Brandon spoke, his voice, almost showing he was getting comfortable. She could tell he was fishing for things to talk about, but she felt she knew him, and that it wouldn't be as obvious to everyone else at the table. She looked around, Brandon had successfully started a conversation. Arthur ended up telling a story, about how he ended up here. It was touching that he had fallen in love and parted his father to stay with her. It reminded Aeroa a lot of her and Brandon, Arthur left his family, like Brandon left his. She couldn't help but to smile a little.

A little girl was staring at Aeroa, and she smiled at her. Then she said Aeroa was beautiful, and Aeroa blushed a little. "Thank you." She replied as Brandon laughed. She waited until Brandon had said where he was travelling from, "And I was the one to drag him here." She said with a little smile as she touched his cheek. The little girl became excited, she wanted to know what the city was like. Aeroa listened as Brandon explained, she nodded as he spoke, the description was done really well, Aeroa couldn't have said it better herself.

"He's right, the forest is a beautiful place. It has amazing little, cute creatures. The way the sun shines through the trees, bathing you in light. How the dew forms on the leaves in the morning, and glisten under the shared rays of the sun. It buzzes with life, and crawls with activity, flies with radiance, and lies in beauty. You'll never see more shades of green and brown than in the forest, but there are many other colors too." Aeroa's description reminded her how much she wanted to go for a walk later. Brandon couldn't go in his condition, but she was sure she could manage, she was still stuck on her desires from earlier.

Dinner became a lively conversation as everyone ate their food and added in new things to the conversation. The topics varied, and Aeroa managed to make herself apart of it as well, and whenever she lacked someone would direct a question to her. She tried not to be too quiet or short as she replied, but it was such a habit of hers. It wasn't long before Brandon and the helping children were walking back to the room. Aeroa whispered to Brandon that she would help clean up. She didn't want to spend time away from Brandon, but after giving them a meal and a place to stay helping clean was the least she could do in return. Gathering the plates and putting them on the sink, the children and Des all pitched in doing the dishes.

Afterword, Aeroa came back to Brandon and smiled, "How are you feeling?" She was sure his shoulder and leg would probably be bothering him, and being reminded of injuries she touched her own, it was feeling much better. Her head had fully cleared and she could still feel the faint pounding, and throbbing but it was far better than before. She sat next to him, and took his hand. She knew she would have to get fully better soon, she would need to be able to protect him, like he had protected her.
 
Walking into the room with the help of the children was a unique experience... he'd never really been around children as an adult. Other then the few times he'd helped them to live just as he had been helped. This was different, these children had a family, they were happy, curious, and so full of energy. He wondered how Des and Arthur managed to keep a farm going, a house made, and the children happy. It must have been quite the task. He chatted with them for a little bit before they ran off to play in one of the other rooms.

Aeroa then was at the doorway, she was looking beautiful. He wasn't sure quite why he was so enthralled by her at that moment but she was beautiful. Her smiled lit up the room and he couldn't help but smile back. "I'm actually feeling better, but to be honest I've never quite been in this kind of pain before." The simple act of holding his hand took some of the pain away, he wasn't sure when or how she'd developed that ability. Perhaps it was just a mental thing, knowing that she was there to help him in whatever he needed. Squeezing her hand gently he nodded, "I'm not that bad honest. A good meal definitely helped."

Looking as the laughter of children came from the other room, "I've never really been around kids like this, ones with a family, that are happy, and laughing." He said, almost in awe. "They must be a handful but... they are also helpful and kind." He then looked over at her, remembering the young girl at dinner remarking how Aeroa was beautiful. "They also seem to know beauty when they see it."

That was when he noticed something, something in her eyes, it was the same look he'd seen before when they'd expressed their need to run from Gratanis and go into the forest. When they'd visited the lake. She wanted the embrace of the forest. He wouldn't be able to come with her. Enjoy her company. But he knew that she was going to go. "You want to go for a walk don't you?" He laughed lightly as he realized just how well he was getting to know her. "How are you feeling? Obviously well enough to go out..." he smiled sadly, not wanting to be away from her "Just be careful ok?"
 
Aeroa was surprised when she heard Brandon ask if she had wanted to go for a walk, how did he know? Had he gotten to know her that well that he could read her? She smiled, it was nice being so close to someone. Aeroa could tell that his smile wasn't very happy, and he was a bit sad about it, but she gave him a kiss before agreeing to be careful. Of course she would be careful, she had someone to protect, who needed her to be careful.

Aeroa became a little reluctant, before she actually stepped out of the house, it was a little odd. Peculiar. She was intercepted by Arthur, who had been passing by.

"Going out?"

"Yeah, Just going to take a short walk.." And with that, she slipped out the front door.

After a quick glance she started her walk towards the forest that they had came from. She wanted to stay in town, to be a little safer, but she couldn't help it. The forest was calling to her. So she walked slowly, but determinedly. And once she got to the edge, she slowly let herself jog. Running wasn't something that she did often, but she wanted to feel the wind, to feel the ground beneath her feet. She put her hands out to touch the trees as she went by. She paid close attention to where she was going and made directions that would be hard to follow. She didn't want to run into a werewolf out here.

She turned her jog into a run, it wasn't often she felt like this. She closed her eyes, running off pure instinct, trying to imagine where the trees would be. Before long she put her hands in front of her so she wouldn't face-plant the hard bark. Eventually her guesses of direction wore off on accuracy and she did run into a tree, but she fell down, and just looked up. The tree leaves were beautiful, the sun had set. darkness had set in, the birds were chirping. She loved the clouds in the dark sky. Freedom. That was what it boiled down to. Freedom. She laughed a little before standing up and dusting herself off. She used her feet to play with the dirt a little looking around. She was about to walk in a random direction before she remembered she was supposed to go back to the town. She wasn't milling around by herself anymore. She had someone to go back to. Aeroa's heart started to beat faster, she shouldn't have ran around with her eyes closed, she would have had some sense of direction if she had kept her eyes open, she would have been able to retrace her steps. But now, looking at where she ran from, the foot prints weren't even visible. The expertise of a forest raised female.

Aeroa slowly sat against the tree she had ran into. She wanted to get up and retrace her steps, but she had taken so many turns she wasn't sure if she had turned around completely, or if she had somehow managed to go straight the entire time. If she could get to a part of the forest she had traversed before, she was sure she could make her way back to the town, she only needed something familiar. A pattern of trees, a certain plant, a certain tree. She had spent years in the forest, it would be no problem to identify a certain spot while someone less experienced would see it as the same.

Aeroa thought about Brandon, how she had told him she'd be careful.. Realizing she was only careful for the first half, she wanted to apologize. She wanted to hug him, and tell him she was alright. How long had she been out here? She could only guess, but was sure her guesses were inaccurate. She shook her head, how could she be so stupid? She put her face in her hands before standing up. Sitting there would do her no good. She needed to try to find the way back.. and attempt not to get more lost. She wondered how Brandon felt, what he was doing. If the family was getting ready for bed. If Brandon was getting ready for bed. If he was worried. What would she tell him when she returned? What would she say..?

Aeroa started in the direction she knew she came from, away from the tree, but she strained her eyes trying to see where she had turned, she walked straight for a while, before realizing she had probably made many turns while running. She shook her head, maybe if she headed straight the village would be ahead? But if she had somehow made herself go away from the village, or left of it or right of it. There was no way to tell. She couldn't be far from the village, could she? All the emotions made Aeroa's head feel funny. Her vision went dark, and light, and slowly out of focus. She shook her head, returning her vision. She probably shouldn't have ran. Her blood pumped more, the effects of the herb surely were pumping, her wound was numb, she could hardly even tell it was there. But her head. She could feel that.

Aeroa took a few guessed turns as she walked, hoping that she'd make it back to the town, or find the path they had taken to get there, or find something that would point her in the right direction. How big could the forest be? How long could it take her to get back? Thankfully she wasn't hungry, nor thirsty, so she could easily wait a while, maybe she should look for water. Her natural habits slowly began to leak into her mind. 'Find water. Find shelter. Scale a tree.' Then she thought of it. All she had to do was find a tall tree, if she could see the village from the tree, she would know which direction to go. There'd be buildings, make even smoke from a fire, there'd be something, she hoped.
 
There was a strange sense of longing that fell over Brandon as he watched Aeroa leave the room. He knew that she wasn't even out of the house and he already felt like he was missing her. She was only just recovering from a sickness, was this such a good idea? Yet he knew the look in her eye, keeping her cooped up inside the house would be far worse a crime. A wanderer was someone that desired the outdoors, desired their freedom, desired the feeling of dirt and leaves beneath their feet. How was it that Brandon had managed to sway her fortune to his own? Perhaps it was because of moments like this, without knowing the yearning he was able to let her explore her desires. He only hoped that he had made the correct decision.

As the night continued Brandon continued to think about Aeroa, the soft feeling of her hands, her lips, the way she looked at him, and the feeling of her mere presence next to his own. It seemed unlikely and yet there they were. In love. He'd saved her life, she'd given him purpose when he didn't know he needed any. She was magnificent and brilliant in a shy, quiet, and caring sort of way. There was a quality to her that could not be measured or compared because to him, she was the only possessor of it. She was his love.

However it seemed that whatever route she had taken for her walk had not taken her home yet. Looking out of the window, Des saw his blank stare and knew of the worry in his heart. Brandon looked down at his knee, feeling the pain in his shoulder, just a few more minutes and she would arrive. He was sure of it. But as minutes passed so did his imagination. What if the wolves had managed to find her? She wasn't fully up to strength. What if she'd gotten lost? In her condition she might not survive. What if she had been injured? There was no way of knowing how to find her... Slamming his hand down on the window sill he closed his eyes. He should have gone despite the pain.

Now he was left with no real choice. Walking back to his room he grabbed the rudimentary pair of crutches and began to hobble his way to the door. Des was the first to notice him and came quickly to his side, placing a hand forcibly on his arm. Arthur noticed when his wife began to move so quickly. "Brandon what do you think you're doing?" He asked calmly as he walked over and stood in the young man's way.

"Aeroa hasn't come back yet, I need to go look for her." Brandon's voice was in a matter-of-fact tone that to him could not be ignored. However Arthur had a different plan in mind.

Arthur reached out and placed a hand on Brandon's uninjured shoulder, "Hey... we can go look for her, you need to stay here. Rest up. You can't travel far on that knee." Brandon however seemed undeterred by the logical argument. "Please, Brandon, Aeroa will be far more upset if you don't get to..."

Brandon didn't let him finished, "If it were Des out there Arthur, you were here nursing a broken leg... what would you do? The wolves could have found her, she could be lost, or injured... I'm going to look for her. You're help would be appreciated but I'm going as well."

Eyes leveled as Arthur looked back towards his wife knowing the truth of Brandon's words and yet he couldn't help but want the man to stay back. He didn't say a word but took his hand off Brandon and left towards his neighbors so that he could gather his brothers together. They would search far faster and hopefully find Aeroa, before Brandon seriously complicated his wounds.
 
After the thought struck her Aeroa quickly looked around for the nearest, tallest tree. Aeroa laughed, here she was, a wanderer, scaling a tree, just to find the way home. Yes, it was home, anywhere that Brandon was, was home to her. Once she had made it as far up as she could go, she looked out, it wasn't exactly high enough to see over the tree tops, she needed to get a little further. So looking at the branches she decided on a less steady branch. If she displaced her weight right she would be able to use it to see out, but not break it. she steadied herself before carefully getting onto that branch. She looked out, the town wasn't straight ahead, but there seemed to be a clearing of trees to the left, which probably was the village.

Aeroa slowly made her way back down the tree, and once on the ground she thought of Brandon, how he was feeling, if he was worried. What he was doing. It pained her heart to know that she had taken so long to get back to him. She just kept telling herself how stupid it was to run with her eyes closed. It felt nice, but she was sure she could have thought of something better. Aeroa started off in the direction of the clearing of trees. She wasn't exactly sure how far it would be, but she knew it couldn't take long. And looking to the sky, she could see the little stars poking out. She shook her head, she needed to get back to Brandon. To hug him. To wrap her arms around him, to apologize, to feel him next to her.

Aeroa had been walking a while before hearing footsteps. At first she thought they were her own, as she had started to feel a fatigued, it would explain her lack of silence in the forest, but after a while she realized the steps were off-sync with her own. Almost an echo. Aeroa felt the urge to stop, to become frozen and to look slowly. But she knew she couldn't. That would do her no good. So she continued her walk, trying to maintain the same pace as before without quickening it. A werewolf? A human? She tried to listen more, to hear the sound of the footsteps, she wanted to tell if they were from someone heavy, or lighter, she wanted to get an approximation of the person, where they were. The sounds came from behind, she was almost certain of it, and they seemed to be lighter steps, from a lighter person.

It was reassuring, so Aeroa took a breath before turning around. There was a man, he stopped as soon as she turned. He looked at her, his eyes widening. Aeroa summed him up, he looked raggedy, as though he had been living in the forest, but it couldn't have been for long, he hadn't yet learned the walk. She didn't take her eyes off of him, and his mouth moved slightly as if to speak. So she began, "Why were you following me?" There was some silence, then his mouth began moving again, but no sound came out. After a while, he turned around and ran the other direction. Aeroa started to chase after him. It was instinct. She wanted to know why he was there. What he was doing.

She almost stopped as the thought of Brandon struck her, he would be worried sick. What was she doing chasing this guy? She knew where the town was now, she could return to her love, she could be in his arms, she could take care of him, help him to get better.. He needed her. What was she doing running after this guy? He was following her. That had to mean something.. didn't it? Aeroa sighed, she let herself take a few more strides before becoming a tiger, it was a painful process with the wound still there, but she knew she could run faster, and she did. Once the transformation was complete it was easy to pounce on the runner. She left her paws on his back. Now.. what do with him?

The man began to stutter, spewing words that meant nothing to here, before he said, "Werewolves." Aeroa needed to take him back to town, he'd never consent to riding on her back, so she took her paw, and gave him a swift hit to the back of the head. He heaved and stopped his struggling. It wasn't enough to kill, only to knock him out for a while. It was a hassle to get the unconscious man on her back, but after a little effort she did. Now, to get back to the town. How was she going to explain all this to Brandon?

Taking the path back was much easier, because after a while she found a few broken twigs from jogging with her hands out to touch the trees. Thought she could begin to feel her wound again, tiger form really aggravated it.. After a few more minutes she found the town, it was refreshing. Brandon would be at the house. She could still feel the weight of the man on her back, but she walked to the house of the people that had taken them in. And upon smelling, she could smell Brandon, his distinct scent, but it wasn't from the inside of the house. He must have been out, but following the scent it lead her back to the woods... 'No.' She thought.

She followed the trail into the woods before hearing the sound of two pats, then one pat, over and over. She approached as quickly as she could without knocking the man off. "Brandon." Talking, while in tiger form, was not an easy task, she basically had to switch vocal cords to make the sounds. "Please, stop walking, I'm here.. I'm sorry." She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she knew what she could do. Instead of changing into a human and then changing back into a tiger, she could just let him ride on her back, back to the house.
 
Walking was especially painful, he'd not gotten used to the feeling of the wooden crutches digging deeply into his underarms. It was uncomfortable but he knew that the alternative was far worse. It was slow, grueling work that seemed to require little thought but focus was still needed to keep his balance. He stopped for a moment, sweat was beading upon his brow and his entire body seemed to heave with the effort of trying to keep a steady pace on the infernal crutches. Looking around he decided to see if his untrained eyes might be able to pick up some sort of clue as to Aeroa's whereabouts. Looking at the floor he could see nothing out of the ordinary other then where Brandon's crutches had struck the ground. Sighing deeply he began to move forward once more only to hear a familiar sound. If there was a more beautiful voice in the world he had not heard it.

There was something to be said of a man's courage or foolishness when he turned around, deep in a forest, and was staring straight into the eyes of an almost ghostly white tiger. Brandon knew those eyes even with their changes the look was the same. Standing there he waited for her, she seemed to step closer. Telling him that she was here and that she was sorry. When she was finally within a few feet from him he leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug. The rest o the world, what he'd been thinking before, all seemed tiny in comparison with her return.

She gave him instruction, Brandon moved the other man on her back out of the way before climbing on. Before he knew it Arthur and his brother's had found them. "Tiger is a rather unique smell," even as a dog Brandon could still sense a smirk coming from Arthur. Des welcomed them all with open arms, Aeroa was free to change back, Brandon wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her. "Please... don't do that to me again. At least not while I'm injured." He said sadly, "you don't know how hard it is to travel on those infernal things." His sadness was nothing but a tease, perhaps he should be angry, he might be later, he was just glad that he was wrong about the werewolves taking her.

Luke woke up in a bed, an intense pain on the back of his skull, his entire vision was pretty foggy, blinking several times he finally managed to wake fully from his daze. Looking around he realized that he was in a small room in a house. Simple furnishings. Thinking for a moment he remembered the tiger, what a beautiful creature he'd seen. How she had mesmerized him with her beauty and force. It was truly a sight to behold. But more then that, he'd completed his mission for his brothers. Sitting up in his bed, he just needed to get out of here...

"Where do you think you're going?" A man stood at the doorway to the room, walking forward the man didn't seem violent but Arthur wasn't about to let the man roam freely he could be injured. "Hey, you took a pretty hard blow, you should at least rest for awhile longer.

Looking up at the man Luke seemed confused, he was about to lash out but thought better of it in his groggy condition. Besides he might be a little more help with more time. "Where are the werewolves? Oh please tell me that you're not one of them! P-Please!" Luke feigned a begging attitude as he looked up at Arthur. Once Arthur had assured him that the werewolves were far from this place and that he was safe. "My name is Luke, I-I-I escaped one of their compounds and ran as quickly as I c-c-could. It was a miracle that I managed to escape for this long but then I-I met a tiger... what on earth is going on?" His act was well thought out, he was just a stuttering runaway.
 
The whole way back to the house Aeroa was reprimanding herself, telling herself how stupid she had been for everything, and to waste time on that guy. She might have been able to stop Brandon from walking if she had gone straight back... She felt horrible for doing that to him, but once she was there, and a human again, before she could explain anything he had wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. She put her arms around him, careful of his shoulder. She smiled at the feel of his lips and his arms, his love and his care, before she returned it. She looked over at the crutches, "I don't think I would want to try either.. you shouldn't have.." Aeroa was expecting a long questioning session of what took her so long, but to her surprise it wasn't like that.

Even without questioning Aeroa felt obligated to tell Brandon what had happened.. "Well.. I started my walk, but it ended up being a closed-eyed run.. until well, I didn't know my way back.. and so I climbed a tree." She paused.. "And I found the direction of the town. I started my way back. But the guy out there.. he well he was following me. I'm not really sure why. But when I turned around.. he fled. He took off. I chased after him, I'm not really sure why." Aeroa paused again. "That's when I turned into a tiger and chased him, and after getting him. Well, I headed back. But I noticed you had gone into the woods.. and you know the rest.."

Aeroa's mind was concerned with why that man had followed her, it just nagged at her and kept bothering her. "And.. well I don't know why, but it's bothering me. Just seems weird.. "When I got the guy the only thing he said was "werewolves." it seemed like it was important to bring him here." Aeroa felt that the family should be far more skeptical of the stranger. She felt that she should be out there questioning him for when he woke. She felt that there was a lot of unanswered questions, important ones. But she shook it, letting the comfort of Brandon return to her, and calm her. "I'm sorry." As she said the words softly she put a hand to his cheek and looked into his eyes.

Luke walked in and looked at the two, "Should I give you a moment?" He said with a smile. Aeroa blushed and shook her head before putting a little space between the two of them, and moving her hand from his cheek.

"Alright, well, the man you brought, he's fine. He was about to leave before I stopped him, he's out there resting. Convinced him to lay back down that the wolves wont get him here.. I doubt he will know you're the tiger unless you show him.. That's up to you. He seems a bit shaken right now, stuttering up a storm. What'd you do to the poor man?" Arthur gave a small laugh, the tiger was a peculiar one.

Aeroa looked to the ground at the question, not really giving an answer, then she looked to Brandon. She wasn't exactly sure what to do or say, to tell Arthur she was followed, or to play it off as she did nothing. She shook her head, leaving the question hanging in the air.
 
There was a clear look of disappointment in Brandon's eyes as Arthur came back in asking if they needed a moment. It was exactly what Brandon had needed to calm himself down, that was twice in the space of two days that he felt like he'd almost lost Aeroa. A fact that he'd tried to avoid thinking about for the last little bit. Her body seemed to seek a little more space, Brandon sighed but understood that their gentle affections would need to wait for awhile. There were other matters which needed their attention as Arthur was quick to point out.

"Apparently the man followed Aeroa, said something about werewolves." It made perfect sense in his mind why Aeroa had brought the man back with her. The man could easily be working with the werewolves. It would explain the man's interest in her, but why was he following so close? A skilled tracker wouldn't have been so foolish. "He was tailing her, perhaps he's working for the werewolves..."

Arthur shook his head slowly, "I don't think so, he seems more scared out of his mind from them. Perhaps he just figured that Aeroa could lead him to the nearest settlement." Looking towards the room that the man was staying in Arthur seemed a bit confused by it all. "Said he'd escaped a slave encampment, his name was Luke, that was about it before he starting going on about the werewolves."

Brandon smiled, Arthur seemed a fair judge of character in Brandon's book, but something about the whole situation seemed a little odd. Walking towards the room he looked in on the man, he seemed normal enough. Brandon also trusted Arthur's nose to be able to pick out a were. It wouldn't take much for Brandon to keep an eye on the guy, besides it might just give him something to do while he's healing up. Luke seemed to be pleasantly sleeping in a bed.

Walking back he said his goodnight to Arthur before following Aeroa back to their own room. "Aeroa, please..." he said, waiting for just a moment. "Please don't go off like that again... at least, not without me around to follow you." His voice was somber, "I just didn't know if you'd been captured, or what had happened... after last night..." he came close and hugged her once again.
 
Aeroa wasn't comforted by the disbelief of Arthur but maybe she was over thinking it, maybe she was wrong about the guy. She had to be right? He wasn't even a skilled tracker, or follower, or whatever he was. She didn't completely buy into her own story, but she felt less reluctant to chain the guy up and torture him. Aeroa laughed a little at the thought and watched as Arthur walked out again.

Aeroa followed Brandon, helping him along, walking with him to see the man lying on the couch. Something was different about him now, he seemed peaceful, at ease. He wasn't running from a tiger, he wasn't nervously following her, he wasn't babbling about nothing, or speaking about werewolves. It changed her perspective, she could see why Arthur didn't believe the man was guilty.

Aeroa helped Brandon back to the room, he spoke and waited. He spoke somberly, and she could tell he was having problems with how things were. He was afraid of loving her, he was worried and concerned. And he cared. Aeroa smiled as he hugged her, and she softly whispered that she was sorry, keeping her arms around him, returning the love of the embrace. She remembered how she felt when Brandon had returned from getting her herb.

Aeroa rubbed her cheek gently to his neck. She whispered little reassurances and stayed in the embrace, hoping that it wasn't hurting him too much to stand so. She wanted to help him, to make him feel better and to take the pain away, and to let him know she would always be there for him. She just couldn't accumulate all the words, it was a mixed feeling, of love and caring and pain for him. The werewolves had to pay somehow. They couldn't get away with this. Torturing herself and him. There'd be no way.
 
While the words she spoke did help, it was not the words that convinced him of her heart. She loved him, he felt it in the way she hugged him and held him close. It was comforting and warm, he enjoyed it greatly. She nuzzled her cheek against his neck which just caused his entire body to relax instantly. It was something so feline and something so like Aeroa. Perhaps that's what he really enjoyed, Aeroa. He loved her. She was everything to him and it made him feel special because he felt like everything to her as well.

The night passed on, Brandon and Aeroa had curled into their bed together. Brandon slept peacefully with Aeroa around despite the wounds. Waking the next morning as soft sunlight seemed to filter in Brandon stirred in his sleep. Turning his head he noticed that Aeroa was still asleep, at least for the moment. She was so beautiful while she slept. Smiling he waited for her to wake and then kissed her good morning. Wondering for only a moment if his kisses were becoming too much for her so early in their relationship. Once they were both awake, they went to breakfast with the family. Luke was also there, sitting at the table and talking with the kids. They were laughing at his stutter.

Looking over at the two newcomers Luke caught sight of the beautiful Aeroa, she was even more stunning in the sunlight. He didn't think it was possible and yet there she was. She held onto that pathetic human, helping him, he could tell that they were close. But how? How could a beautiful were such as herself be drawn to a mere human male? Luke thought of himself as superior to the human race, in many respects Luke felt himself superior to other weres as well. Standing as they entered Luke didn't overtly ignore the human male but only spoke to Aeroa. "I-I-I did not get the name of my s-s-savior?" He said with a smile.

Waiting until breakfast was over he couldn't help but notice the way that Brandon looked at Aeroa, the way he laughed and spoke with the others. It made Luke sick but he had to keep his cover and just play along. The fact that she was in love with another didn't deter his own feelings of intense emotion from Aeroa. In fact in many ways, it enhanced his wolf-like desire for a mate. Waiting until they managed to finish he followed her as she helped with the dishes.
 
Aeroa and Brandon had ended up curling up together in their designated bed, she was happy to be with him, feeling him next to her. He was the safety and reassurance she had lacked before, it was different to have someone to come home to, it was different to love someone. Just being in his presence was reassuring enough, and even if he couldn't fight she was safe with him, it meant things were going okay. Aeroa took a peek at her wound before going to sleep, it looked a lot better, and it was even starting to heal, which she thought was great. Aeroa had pleasant dreams, about Brandon and herself, freeing themselves of the werewolves and living the best possible life together.

It was no surprise to wake up and see his face, to see the smile, made her smile. The morning was signified with a kiss, and she happily returned it, she wanted to kiss him more, but before she knew it breakfast was being served. The man Aeroa had saved was there too, Luke as Arthur had said his name was. His stutter apparent'y hadn't gone away, because Aeroa could him him as he talked to the children. Luke stood, and addressed her, Aeroa wasn't sure how to feel about his inability to speak. Aeroa wasn't sure she even wanted to give the man her name, but it would be horrible to try a fake name with everyone around. "I'm Aeroa." She said softly as she continued to help Brandon sit. Something about Luke's presence made Aeroa uneasy, causing her to sit closer to Brandon, and touch him softly almost at all times, maybe just to convince herself he was still sitting with her.

Breakfast was an assortment of fine foods, and Aeroa enjoyed being able to eat, she kept her portion reasonable, as to not give Brandon another reason to tease her. At the thought she smiled and kissed his cheek gently. Conversation was light and happy, Aeroa looking at Brandon, Brandon looking back. By the end Aeroa had decided to help clean the dishes again. Des and the children were happy for the company, but Aeroa wasn't happy of Luke's constant presence while she was cleaning.

Des found Luke to be almost cute in the way he hung around his 'savior', like he had something he wanted to say but didn't know how. It made her laugh a little to herself. The children on the other hand took this as an advantage to ask him many more questions, because their appetite before breakfast wasn't satisfied.

Aeroa was thankful for the distraction, but at the same time he seemed to always glance at her, and smile, or acknowledge her looking at him. Finishing up the dishes she walked over to Brandon, she asked, "Hun, would you like to stay out in the main room, or go back to the room?" Her voice was still soft as she felt eyes looking at her, she fought the urge to see if Luke was still staring at her. The last thing she wanted was a conversation between Luke and herself.
 
The morning was very good, Aeroa seemed unusually close to Brandon. He couldn't find a solid reason as to why that may have been other then the fact that she was just glad to be back after that night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The children were happily distracted with the newcomer Luke, Arthur, Des, Brandon, and Aeroa were having a wonderful conversation. Aeroa must have been thinking about him quite a lot that morning because she was never far from him at breakfast, sitting even closer then usual and she even kissed him in the middle of it. Not that he was complaining but it was just a pleasant surprise.

"I think I'd rather sit in the front room if you don't mind Aeroa," he said with a smile. Brandon was then led into the front room, with Aeroa's help. That was when Brandon got a good look at another part of the room. Luke was there, a smile on his face like a small child would have towards a sweet roll. It was strange because it looked like he was staring right at Brandon. Odd. It was then that Brandon realized Luke hadn't said a single word to him all morning.

Looking at the two of them, the disgusting Human tainting the beautiful lips of Aeroa. It caused his desire to rise for her, Luke couldn't help but stare. When he realized that Brandon was looking back at him he pretended to be caught off guard and quickly look away. Luke gaze returned at the moment he felt it was safe enough to look again.

However no matter how much Luke stared at Aeroa it didn't change anything. Besides he couldn't let himself get too distracted, there were plenty of hours in a day to woo the stunning Aeroa. "I-I think I'll t-t-take a walk around town." The announcement was to all that were listening, he could gather a little bit of information about the town for when the rest of his pack arrived. Without being able to relay the messages back to them he realized that it might take them a few days. No matter, it would give him more time to concentrate on Aeroa. He laughed inwardly at the prospect.

Brandon spent the day with the children and Aeroa, who was never far off... he helped the children polish the metals in the home, it was one of the few things that he could do with his body in the shape that it was in. Taking his arm from the sling he tried to move it a little bit. It hurt but not as much as before. That was good, perhaps he would be healed up a little quicker then he thought. Thinking back to the night he was attacked he tried to remember all the details about the attack, trying to pick out what he might have done better. Weaknesses that the wolves might have which he could use against them. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he was very lucky to have made it out alive.
 
After helping Brandon to the front room she sat with him, closely. She watched as Luke left and she felt herself relieved of the pent up anxiety. With it gone she was able to focus more on the things happening around her, and less on what might happen. She watched as Brandon helped to polish the metal, Aeroa watched Brandon for a little bit , how he slowly moved his hurt arm, taking it out of it's sling. Then she asked if she could help as well. It was a simple task that she picked up easily, at least she thought so. She carefully mimicked Brandon's movements. "Like this?" She asked softly.

Luke went out, he didn't really want to talk to these people, he couldn't wait for his pack to get here, to ravage the village, to have his havoc, and the mate he wanted. The sad human wouldn't be stand a chance vs Luke, and he knew that. It made Luke smile, though that might make the beautiful Aeroa rebel, he could also make it look nice. Of course. He laughed to himself become coming across someone that looked of interest. It was simple conversation, nothing to get himself caught early, but to give him something to report back about.
Luke investigated about until the sun began to set, and realizing he needed to get back to the family, he should start walking back. All the meanwhile thinking of how to use them to the utmost potential.

It didn't feel like long before Des and the others were setting up dinner, Aeroa carefully excused herself from sitting with Brandon to help them, she left him with a kiss on the cheek. With such a long time without seeing Luke, Aeroa was getting hopeful that he was gone, wandered off and left, maybe the wolves got him. She gave a nervous laugh, that was horrible to think. Maybe just injured, she would be okay with that. Aeroa set the table, and walked back over to Brandon, slowly helping him up, and to the dinner table. Everyone was bustling about, and sitting down, and getting ready to eat. The children were inquiring about the stuttering man, Luke's, presence.
 
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