A Deer Starts Things Again
Part 2/2, where a bat goes hunting for a snake that went hunting
Content warnings: Intended fatal, same-size/slightly larger(?) prey, un(?)willing prey, vampires doing what vampires do (which in this case includes brief mind control)
[part 1] | [part 2]
Rex expertly twisted and banked through the thick trees of the inner forest, his bat form not only giving him flight but agility as well. And he was running through every curse he knew, both new and archaic, in his mind as he did.
He should have been suspicious the moment Rocket said he wanted to spend a day out. Where else would he have gone? Why else would he have preferred Rex not go with him??
If Riza, their downstairs neighbor and resident slime creature, hadn't seen him trying to slip discreetly deeper into the forest while she dozed on a branch, Rex would have never known...
He should have asked Rocket where he was going. Almost half a day had passed before Rex had considered maybe he needed to go look for him... He wanted to respect his boyfriend's privacy, but at what cost??
Maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe he really was just hunting... But Rocket knew how Rex felt about him hunting in the deep forest! How he felt about Rocket... hunting... people.
Like you're any better, a cruel voice hissed silently in his ear. If you hadn't found Rocket all those months ago you would have committed another murder yourself.
Rex was pulled out of his dark thoughts by the smell of Rocket's blood suddenly getting stronger.
It wasn't a literal scent trail that Rex was following, he was more so tracking his partner through... the connection they shared. The moment Rex had tasted his blood a special link had been formed.
Rex couldn't really explain it. Up until now, he hadn't had a connection like this with anyone. Not even with the self-proclaimed "vampire queen" who had turned him.
It was easier to think of it as a scent.
Rex circled a few times, pinpointing the direction Rocket's trail was leading him, before quickly swooping in that direction.
He was close!! He--
The trail ended, and was strongest, at the foot of a great maple tree. Rex fluttered up into the branches quietly, clicking at a high pitch as he tried to find his partner's hiding place with his echolocation.
There was someone at the bottom of the tree, evidently resting from how little they moved, but... Something wasn't right.
That wasn't Rocket. But his scent was there...
Rex took off from his spot in the branches, fluttering over into the clearing the tree was at the edge of. He determined a spot to land and transformed back into his human form in a puff of shadow, dropping almost silently to the ground.
He could see now that the stranger napping at the bottom of the tree was a centaur of some kind, the bare human torso that lay on the ground ending in a furry body. He was gripping a pile of leaves like a pillow, and had a blanket of white and tawny feathers spread over his animal half, making it impossible to tell what kind of animal served as his legs.
Slowly, Rex crept forward, but his caution faded as he heard the man's gentle snores... and his concern rose as Rocket's scent intensified. Was this centaur somehow Rocket...?? Had he gotten cursed???
Well, there was one way to find out.
"... Excuse me?"
At the sound of Rex's voice, the centaur jolted awake, giving a bleating cry of terror and stumbling to his feet. Rex took a step back in surprise... Just to see that what he thought was a blanket were, in fact, wings. Wings that flared out in surprise and fear, revealing... a very, very full deer stomach.
This wasn't just a centaur. It was a perytaur. It was a carnivore.
Rex didn't waste time thinking. If his instincts were right he had little time to act before the perytaur bolted like the deer he was.
Rex lunged forward with a hiss, sailing through the air and colliding with the man's human torso, sending both of them sprawling to the ground. Before the perytaur could react, Rex was sinking his fangs into his neck, the vampire drawing deep pulls of his blood.
The perytaur squealed in terror, trying to force Rex off of him, thrashing and shoving, but it was too late. Rex had gotten what he needed.
As quickly as Rex had grabbed him, suddenly he was letting go and backing up. The perytaur's hand flew to his neck, but there was no wound, the bite mark sealed as if it had never been.
The deer-man took a few steps backwards, hand still covering his neck, shaking violently as he kept his big brown eyes fixed on Rex.
Rex flung out his hand, eyes flashing with a red glow as he harnessed the new power he had over this stranger. "Stop!!"
The perytaur froze in his tracks, down to the tips of his fuzzy ears. Those watery eyes stayed locked on Rex, and the vampire could see the red glow of his own eyes shared by the buck's, his magic taking hold.
"Now... LET HIM GO."
🐍 🦇 🐍 🦇 🐍 🦇 🐍 🦌 🐍 🦇
Rocket was surprised that he wasn't scared.
But then again, it kind of made sense. He was a firm believer in doing what it took to survive after all.
He simply had lost to a predator more capable and clever than himself. He respected that.
Sure, it was sad that Rex would miss him. But now, the deer boy would be able to stay alive for the people that loved HIM. It was only fair.
Besides, he thought to himself, there are worse ways to go, than in such a warm and soft place.
He wasn't even hurting or anything. The only part of him that felt anything other than cozy was the bump on his head. He had assumed becoming someone's meal would burn and sting and hurt until the bitter end. But everything was warm and soft and warm and soft...
Until suddenly everything began tightening around him.
Oh dear. This is where it starts to hurt.
Rocket closed his eyes, ready for the burning... and instead felt his world pitching again. His head suddenly was moving upwards, away from where the rest of his long body coiled, and Rocket mused to himself that this was the exact opposite of everything he had expected.
The squeezing suddenly eased around his shoulders, and he was blinking in the light of the bright moon shining through the gap in the foliage.
"Rocket!!"
"Rex...??" Rocket muttered, using his hand to wipe away saliva from his face. He was laying on the grass now, and his tail was slowly following.
"Keep going!" he heard Rex bark, and then he was being scooped up into familiar arms. "Rocket... Oh stars... I'm so glad you're okay."
Rocket smiled warmly up at his tearful vampire boyfriend, reaching up to play with his hair. "Rex! What are you doing here?"
"Saving your sorry ass!!" Rex suddenly snapped, dropping him back into the ground. Rocket yelped, his snakes hissing unhappily.
Rex got back to his feet, starting to pace as he fumed.
"What were YOU doing out here?!" Rex hissed, making Rocket shrink slightly. "You know how I feel about you doing this!! If you're hungry, I can hunt for you!! You don't need to come out here and... And perpetuate this cycle of barbarity!!"
Rocket couldn't meet Rex's gaze, guilt and hurt overpowering him.
He hated when Rex talked like this. Saying he shouldn't provide for himself. Calling him barbaric. Looking down on him like this... In this case, literally.
Rocket opened his mouth to reply, to defend himself, to fight against the flames in Rex's eyes-- but was interrupted by the tip of his tail falling to the ground.
And then the sobbing began.
Rocket and Rex were both stunned into silence. Slowly, Rocket turned, knowing what he was about to see but no less shocked when he did.
The perytaur that had taken him down, had proven his cunning and strength in outwitting a Naga on the hunt... had collapsed to the ground, his human torso hunched over in a self embrace as he was wracked with full-body sobs. Tears and snot dropped down to the forest floor, onto what had been a very cozy-looking leaf bed, that had now been scattered by gangly deer legs, which trembled as the rest of his body did.
Rex felt his fury fading, replaced with shame.
He... He hadn't been expecting this. He hadn't wanted this...
Slowly, Rocket righted himself, and the perytaur was so distraught that he didn't even seem to notice. Not until Rocket was right beside him, and was gently resting a hand on his shoulder.
The perytaur blanched, trying and failing to stand up and move away, hooves slipping on the scattered leaves as he looked at Rocket in terror.
"Shhh, hey, it's okay. I promise it's okay," Rocket said softly, reaching up and gently petting the man's fluffy hair, the same tawny color as his wings. He made his own snake hair duck out of the way, hoping to seem as non-threatening as possible."It's all right. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
The deer didn't give any indication that he understood, tears still streaming down his face as he looked at Rocket in fear, flinching every time his hand came near. Slowly, however, he seemed to adjust to the sensation, and he relaxed, his soft ears slowly perking up.
"There you go," Rocket said with a soft smile. This little buck really was so adorable. "You're okay. I'm sorry we hurt you. But it's okay now. I promise."
Rocket suddenly had an idea, and quickly reached into a pouch on his belt. The deerman's ears instantly went back again at his sudden movement, but he was more nervous than truly frightened now.
Rocket pulled out a few strips of dried meat, grinning proudly. "My emergency jerky! For when my hunts go long!" Rocket's smile turned sheepish as he held them out. "It's... It's not much, for folks our size. But I hope it helps make this up to you."
The perytaur sniffed what Rocket held out to him, and his face lit up. Food!! Before Rocket could consider taking it away again, he quickly snatched them out of Rocket's hand, shoving a whole strip into his mouth and swallowing it without chewing, sharp un-deerlike fangs flashing as he did.
Rocket laughed, shaking his head. "No, no they feel much more filling if you chew them! They're tough, so you chew them a long time, and it feels like you're eating a lot, see?"
Rocket pulled out another strip, tearing off a bite with his teeth and chewing it with apparent relish. "Mmm! Good!"
The perytaur watched dubiously, but after a moment of hesitation, mimicked Rocket's bite-and-chew maneuver with one of the other pieces.
"See? There you go. Good." Rocket resisted the urge to pet him again, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry I can't be your meal today, but Rex needs me. I hope that will help until you can find something else."
Rocket straightened up again and turned around, catching Rex's eye for a moment before his vampire turned away.
"... I'm really sorry Rex," Rocket finally said, his hair snakes all drooping. "I... I'm sorry I--"
"It's okay," Rex quickly interrupted, though he still wouldn't look at him. "I mean-- It's not, but... We can talk about it later." He hunched over slightly, as if some weight was settling down onto him. "... I want to go home."
Rocket slithered forward, taking Rex's hand, who squeezed it gratefully.
The pair turned to go the way Rex had come--
Just to hear a rustling behind them from the maple tree.
They both turned in surprise to see the young man standing up, poised to take a step after them. When he saw them turn back and look at him, his ears pricked to attention, but he didn't back off. Although still tearstained, his face betrayed no fear.
"... Yeah. We're leaving. You can go back to what you were doing," Rocket reassured him, gesturing with one hand. The perytaur watched his hand move, before turning his gaze back to Rocket's face, looking expectant as he took another bite of his jerky.
Rocket glanced at Rex, who shrugged, before they took a few more steps.
They had reached the edge of the clearing when, instinctively, they looked back.
The deerman hadn't fallen any further behind, tailing them at that same distance, moving silently through the undergrowth. When he saw them looking back at him, he quickly turned as well, ears flicking, as if expecting them to have seen something behind him.
"... Rex...?" Rocket said uncertainly, glancing over at him.
Rex shook his head slightly, a strange, almost pained look on his face.
Rocket looked back at his predator, heart giving a twinge.
Maybe... He had been wrong.
Maybe this man had no one to stay alive for but himself.
"... I mean we do kind of owe him for almost traumatizing him," Rocket finally said, shrugging as he glanced at his boyfriend.
Rex chewed on his lip, looking between Rocket and their new shadow dubiously. "... You want him to come with us? After what he--" Rex fell silent at Rocket's look. Rex might have about 200 years on Rocket, but somehow the Naga looked so much older.
... And in a way he almost was. Rocket was part of something much older than Rex was. The magic and creatures that existed in this forest had come to be long before the ways of man, the ways that had been all Rex had really ever known, until Rocket.
"... All right. He can stay until my next hunt. I'll give him a good meal to make up for the one I took, and then he returns to where he belongs," Rex said softly, before turning back towards the trees.
Rocket sighed softly, but was wearing a smile when he turned back to their new friend, who gave a small squeak in response.
Yeah. He would end up where he belonged.
