(chapter one here!)
It's been over twelve hours since Avid nearly died.
Twelve hours since Avid saw Pyro or Owen.
Avid feels like he can finally calm down, like they weren't going to turn the corner and jump him any second. Plus, it helps that he hasn't left Scott's side at all.
Avid's hand's currently intertwined with Scott's own. They were walking through the forest after desecrating the Lake beacon, chatting to Drift.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
"You two are gonna go traveling after this?" Scott asks, introjecting into the conversation for the first time.
Drift smiles, putting her arms above her head. "Oh, yeah! Us and Shelby. We're gonna help Avid once we can leave, and then we'll travel to places. I've always wanted to explore across the oceans, y'know?"
"Oh?" Scott hums, looking at Avid. "What do you have after this before you're truly free?"
"I, uh… I had a partner. A— A monster hunter partner. She, um… her name was Elle. She went out for a while, and after a few weeks she returned." Avid's voice seemed way to calm for how he felt, the grief flooding through his body again as he retold his most horrible memory. "She… She attacked me. I don't know why, but… I staked her. I thought she was a vampire. After that, I ran too— ran to Oakhurst. That's… That's why I was acting like that before."
"Oh, Avid," Scott's voice dripped with sympathy as he paused, bringing Avid's hand up and placing a single kiss on his hand. "I'm sorry you had to do that."
Avid is so thankful that his heart no longer could pump the blood up to his face. "I—" His voice catches in his throat, voice starting to waver. "Thank you," he whispers. Drift bumps into his shoulder.
"We'll hold a proper funeral for her, Avid," she says, hand on the shoulder. "We'll always be there for you." A smile broke on Avid's face. The trio move forward, sticking in the shadows of the remaining forest.
Right before the three stepped out of the forest onto the trail to the castle, Scott paused.
Avid was giggling, his free hand covering his mouth. He paused as soon as he felt Scott's hand stop being him.
"Is everything okay?" Drift asks, her skin starting to sizzle as she stands just outside the shadows. Scott shakes his hand, pulling Avid closer to his chest. Avid lets out a very normal sound, thank you for asking.
"Someone's here," Scott says, voice flat as his eyes scan the trees. "I heard a fourth pair of footsteps." Avid gulps, his heart pounding as he looked around — or, well, the phantom memory of it. Either way, he was scared, okay?
"You have good ears, Goldsmith." Owen's voice seems to echo from everywhere in the forest. "Though, you seem to be keeping my prey."
Drift's hands tense, her claws ready to be used. "We're not afraid of you!"
"Oh?" Owen's voice circled around them, and Avid started shaking in Scott's arms. "I don't think that's true, Drift. Did Avid not tell you how he begged for his life?"
"I specifically told you I do not want to see you around here again, did I not?" Scott's voice was flat — deadly. Waiting to strike. Avid looks up to those blood-red eyes, seeing the absolute predator that was being held back. At this moment, Avid could not see Scott — but just the hunter instinct over something they own. Something they protect, or lay claim. "Leave."
"I have… unfinished business, before I can do that." Avid flinches as Owen's voice is right in his ear, and he hears Scott growl. "Who are you to deny a hunter his prey?"
"Avid is under my protection. He is in my coven, my brood. He is not your prey because you have grievances."
Owen hums before claws slash down Scott's back. He spins around, claws striking through open air.
Avid yelps as he was pulled backwards by an invisible force, the collar of his shirt choking him as he's pulled back. Drift shouts, tackling the invisible vampire, and Avid gags on the air. His eyes are wide open, darting around everywhere as he takes a large leap backwards. Without even thinking, he felt himself transform into his bat form.
He lets out a cry once more as someone slashes at his wings, cutting through the thin skin of the membrane. Somehow managing to slash at Avid, despite the amount of bats that appear when he transforms.
Avid was grounded, now, unable to even use his own claws to defend himself. He latches himself onto Drift's legs as she fights, and Avid catches Scott nodding at her. Not even a moment later, Drift takes off. "We have to help Scott!" Avid shouts as he climbs up her leg, now looking over her shoulder. He sees Scott between them and Owen and Pyro, fighting both of them off while they escape.
"Are you crazy?!" Drift says between breaths, leaping over the gaps in the bridge. "Do you think we could really take them? You're a bat right now, Avid!"
"We can't just leave him!"
"Dude, you can't even fly right now. They tore through your wing. You really think you can fight?" Drift sighs, gently picking Avid up and holding him in her hands. She looked so large, in his small bat form, like a guardian angel meant to protect him. After a moment, Avid shakes his head. "Exactly. I'm sorry man, but we need to be alive first."
"They know we're at the castle, though."
"We need to go to another beacon, one not here. I just needed to — to get away." Drift is panting as she talks. "Let's go to the Obelisk."
"Okay."
Avid needs to calm down his racing heart. He's fine. He needs to focus, put all his energy into finding himself at the Obelisk beacon. He takes deep breaths, practically gulping the air to try and calm himself. He's fine. He's fine. Drift's fine, and Scott will be fine.
He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. The Obelisk.
Sunlight shines behind Avid's eyelids, slowly blinking them open. "Oi, what the fuck?!" Avid snaps out of the brief moment he had, head whipping around to see Martyn and Ren at the beacon, consecrating it.
"Sorry, sorry!" Drift and Avid both shout, jumping at the sight of the humans. The second Martyn pulls out his silver sword, Drift transforms into her bat form, picking Avid up by the scruff of his neck before flying off before another fight could start.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Drift, they were there!" Avid lets out a nervous giggle as Drift lands on a nearby tree. She places him on the leaves, a wing over Avid's tiny form.
"What are the chances?" Drift says, looking at them. "Like, man! The first time I did this and Martyn was there!"
"At least it wasn't Abolish," Avid replies. He leans into Drift, trying to stop the shaking. The two fell into silence for a while, watching as the beacon was neutralized.
The two were too far away to hear what the humans were saying, but watched as the two of them decided to leave after neutralizing it. Avid feels something disconnected — a sudden loss of a feeling Avid didn't even realize. A vampire is dead.
He looks at Drift, and he could tell she has the same feeling. "You don't think?"
She shakes her head. "No. He couldn't have. There's no way."
"Should we go back to the castle?" Drift shakes her head again.
"Nah," she says, "me and Shelby said to meet here if anything happens. I was gonna tell Scott, but, uh… Haven't gotten the time yet. But we just need to wait and hope she comes."
Avid nods. "Okay," he lets out a breath. "I hope he's okay."
"He is. If Scott's dead, we don't have a chance. Any of us."
Avid leaned into Drift further. Scott has to be okay. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Quietly, he whispers to her, "I can't believe they came back to try and kill me."
"You're gonna be okay," Drift hugs him tighter, "we'll always be there to protect you."
They stay outside like this for ten minutes, then twenty, then thirty. At this point, both Avid and Drift both had shifted out of their bat forms, simply just sitting on the tree. Finally, they see a reddish brown flying towards them. "Guys!" Shelby lets out a breath of relief as she lands on the tree next to them, transforming back. "Avid, are you okay? Scott told me about the ambush."
"I'm fine," Avid said, breaking off of Avid to latch onto Shelby. "Scott's okay? Did you feel that earlier?"
"Oh, yeah!" Shelby says. "Scott killed Pyro. He said Owen ran away once Scott was pulling out stakes."
Avid wishes he could bring himself to care, even though they attacked him. Was Avid already losing his humanity, his empathy? He shook his head. "I'm glad you're okay, Shelby. I'm glad that you're okay."
Shelby lets out a breath, tightly holding Avid. "I'm glad you're okay, too. I'm sorry I wasn't there." She looks at Drift, dragging her into the hug as well. "We're gonna be okay, okay? The three of us. I promise you guys that."
Avid could feel tears forming in his eyes from happiness. "I love you guys," he says, voice shaking as he speaks. "I'm glad I have you."
"We love you too," Drift replies, holding both of them tighter. As if she lets them go, they'd disappear. And Avid's okay with that. He doesn't mind the slightest.
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