Chapter Text
The village was a flurry of activity, wild game and livestock alike being readied for the upcoming feast. The metallic scent thick in the air wafts from the slaughtered carcasses suspended above the ceremonial cistern. The dark-haired seer presides over the process of collecting the blood, making sure the essence of all 15 offerings. One offering for every year the celebrated alpha has lived; the final offering will be one the said alpha provides at the celebration.
The seer has glimpsed slivers of the fate that has been assigned to the golden alpha. The omega knows in due time that the weave of fate will reveal the fate he is sworn to protect. As the scent of blood hangs heavy in the air the seer is practically shunted back in time. The scene is one that will never leave the omega, the best and worst night of his life could never be scrubbed from the seers’ chronicles or his conscience.
8 years ago
The birthing den was a whirlwind of activity after the young omega’s water ruptured. What could constitute as the entire congregation of the seers’ clan has packed into the midsize hut. This is the first baby the seers will be delivering from one of their own this year, the excitement is palpable. The gathered pack flock to the laboring seer, an older seer Komeda, kneels next to him. She fondly pushes his hair back from his face, she meets his eyes smiling encouragingly.
She holds his hand and diligently wipes the sweat from his brow with a cool rag. Cooing soothingly to him all the while, gentling him in a way only other omegas can soothe each other. The smell of infused oil and incense hangs heavy; the smell and flitting serve to further soothe the omega. He is not alone, his pack is here, and they have been doing this for years and generations. Ours have passed, the patchwork rug of rabbit furs that cover the dense straw mattress have been soaked, the scent of blood and amniotic fluid hangs heavy in the air. The laboring omega has begun to lose energy and steam.
Beau…... Beau!” Komeda stirs the exhausted omega, “You can’t rest yet love…. One more push…. Bring us another into the light.” She rallies the last of the omega's fading strength. Taking a deep controlled breath, Beau gathers the last vestiges of his strength and will.
With an ear-splitting scream that tapers off into a low drawn-out groan, the omega pushes with the motive to bring this willful infant into the world. The gathered omegas start chittering excitedly, Beau manages to grasp something about seeing the child’s head starting to breach him. Komeda continues her encouraging coos. “Almost there Beau, just a bit more then you will greet your child.”
Beau tearfully nods her way, then the omega pushes again. An uncontrolled whimper of omega distress slips from the laboring seer as Komeda moves between his legs. The acting midwife gently hushes him.
“I’m just getting prepared to catch the child. Keep going!”
With one final push and Beau feels an incredibly painful burning, another whimper of distress is released. Beau does not notice Komeda gently guiding the child the rest of the way out. Komeda places the child on Beau’s chest with a fond smile.
The moment the child is placed against the omega, everything just kind of fades away. The excitement, the pain…. Just all melts away. The seer nervously wipes away some fluids from the child’s face, blue eyes blink up at him and he sees. Beau sees his child, Will, the fate that has been assigned to him. Beau hesitantly smiles and begins to soothe the now fussing child. He takes the offered rag to help rid the child of the remains of the womb from him. Komeda is back at his side, assuring the young omega he has done a great job. “Ten toes, ten fingers, two eyes, two ears. Is it an omega or just a beta girl?” Beau responds without taking his eyes off the now cleaned infant, “His name is Will.” Komeda breathily chuckled, “Ah… with a name like that, he will certainly be a force to reckon with….. A good name for the first of his generation to be raised here.” With a light press of her lips to the new parent,” Rest now, the hardest part hasn’t even started yet love.”
Present
Beau is brought back to the present by the sensation of liquid spilling across his hand. The omega quickly withdrawals the overflowing cistern from the teeming stream of crimson. Muttering obscenities to himself all the while. Most passerbys pay the cursing seer no mind, but one female beta stops. She clears her throat from a safe distance away so as to not endanger her fine clothing and footwear to the coagulated pool of blood and dirt the seer is currently wading through.
Beau’s head snaps to the dark-haired girl, roughly the same age as his own son. He gives the girl a polite smile. Her name is Alana; his gift supplies her name.
“Hello Alana…. How are you fairing today?” The Beta’s eyes go wide, and she pinches her lips together before she hesitantly responds, “How did… How did you know? I’ve never- uh- I’m sorry. How did you know my name?” She cocks her head at the older man, seemingly examining him in a new light. Beau gives her a playful smile as he caps and situates the filled cistern, He makes sure the filled vessel is fully sealed before storing it in his bag of needed components. The seer taps right below his eye, then again at his ear, then lastly against his lower lip. “I heard it, I saw it, then I spoke it.”
Alana flashes the man a dimpled smile, and nods with understanding. The young girl proceeds to ask the seer rapid questions about the coming celebration. Beau answers the ones that he can and expertly diverts from the ones he feels the girl to not be mature enough for. “Are you going to tell Hannibal his fate?” Alana’s eyes light up as she mentions the Jarl’s heir. Beau nods, pauses before answering,” Yes… as is tradition since Hannibal is turning sixteen, he is permitted to have a seer tell him his fate. Just as when you reach that age you can seek out a seer to look into the future for you.” Beau does not mention that there will be no large celebration or public spectacle for the beta girl’s coming of age day. The girl nods as though Beau had given her the answer she expected.
With a wan face and glazed eyes, Beau hefts his satchel over his lithe shoulder and settles it across his body, making sure his collected contents are secured. The man makes his way to the hut that has been assigned to him for the duration of his stay. Once inside, the Seer sets about further preparing the components. With an experienced hand, crimson and scented oil are emulsified in a small cauldron. Beau mixes until the pigment is completely bonded with the oil creating a scented paint for the runes he will bestow. After transferring the oil to a small flask, Beau started on the herbs.
Pulling the freshly collected herbs from the bag, Beau starts rationing a bit of all the different herbs into cheese cloth sachets. He tosses one of the portioned sachets into the cauldron and lights it on fire, the fragrant smoke quickly permeates the small room. From the contained fire, Beau lights a bundle of fire starter and tosses it to the fire pit too small to be truly called a hearth. Suddenly the small hut is bathed in a warm light.
Beau waits for the small fire he set in the cauldron to die down so he can collect the ash. The omega’s glazed over gaze finds the fire. Visions and prophecies swirl in his mind. Thousands of words that wish to be spoken. The clamor of the outside world turns to the sound of steel ringing on steel and the shouts of victorious raiders. Before the seer can further lose himself in the vision, a quick knock sounds on the door. The sharp sound jolts the clairvoyant back into his body and mind. He quickly rises to his feet and answers the door. The door is pulled open just as a young golden-haired alpha has poised to knock a second time. Beau gives a respectful dip of his head followed by a polite smile.
“Hello Hannibal, I was under the impression your birthday was not for another 2 days...” The alpha nods his agreement. A few moments pass without either man saying anything, “Was there something I could help you with then?”
Hannibal nods again, “Hello seer Beau” The alpha pauses for dramatic effect, “Jarl Robert has sent me with two tasks. Firstly, to invite you to join us for dinner in our longhouse. I am to stress how honored the jarl and I would be for you to join us.”
Beau pensively looked upon his prepared rituals, reflecting that he could spare the time as he was adequate on schedule. “I would be delighted to attend dinner with jarl Robert and yourself.”
As the omega dons himself in his weathered, but well-loved cloak, Hannibal continues. “Secondly, I have come to ask for a blessing in my hunt tomorrow. I wish for the components to leave Magni an offering in return for strength, I will need it hunting wolves.”
The mention of hunting wolves gives the omega a slight pause. “Wolves? I know you are coming of age, but most hunters start with something a bit smaller, less aggressive.” Hannibal’s lips tighten and he releases a slow controlled breath. “I strive to be exceptional in every aspect of my life; I see why hunting will be no different.” Beau gets the point that the young alpha will hear no more discouragements on the topic. With complete sincerity, “I anticipate every hunter in the village feeling eclipsed by what you present to the gods for your success.”
Beau gently pulled the door closed behind him with a cheeky wink and motioned for Hannibal to lead the way to his residence. On the short walk, the seer gave Hannibal some options on what offerings to leave for the god he seeks favor with.
As a seer Beau has been to almost all of the surrounding villages, it is his duty as a seer to perform their religious rights and ceremonies. Beau has had the honor of being hosted and played host to the jarls of those villages. As far as dwellings go, Jarl Robert Lecter’s home was opulent to say the least. Plush furs lined the floor; thickly woven tapestries hung along the walls. A grand hearth fire blesses the open room with an almost muggy level of warmth. Along the center of the room a grandiose feast table draws the seer’s eye.
The dining sets have been laid out, one and the head then the remaining two on either side. Jarl Robert is already waiting for the pair at the head of the table. Hannibal pulls the chair to the right of his uncle out for the seer. The courteous alpha takes his seat after helping the omega get situated. No words are spoken until all three attendees are settled, and a servant has filled the trios mugs with a sweet mead.
Conversations flow, albeit stiltedly from the older alpha in the room. Beau only needs a glimpse into Robert’s eye to know the man is flustered remembering the last time Beau and another seer were hosted in this village. The older alpha’s scent has started to sour Hannibal’s appetite with the twinge of arousal that flared as his uncle locked eyes with the seer. After plates have been cleared away, the young alpha politely excuses himself. Hannibal knows it is a bit rude to abandon the seer to the lustful whims of his uncle, but the young man has an offering to prepare. The alpha makes his way to his room to wait until the village has bedded down for the night.
It takes little time after Hannibal has excused himself, before the scent of alpha and omega coupling suffuses throughout the dwelling. Hannibal uses the aggressive sound of skin slapping and pleasured moans to cover his exit of the house. Once past the threshold, the young man put a much needed distance between himself and the residence. The teen quickly and quietly steals into the night towards the hut when the spoils of the hunts are processed.
He discreetly pops the lock of the hut and slips inside. Without the help of the moon, the alpha must blindly feel around for his prize. After moments of inelegant floundering around in the dark hut, Hannibal lifts the stag's head he was after. Just as he entered, the man left. Hannibal stashed to mount at the edge of the village, needing both hands to collect his next offering.
Hannibal makes his way to his next prize, this one a bit more of a challenge. As he approaches the home of his target, he makes sure to step softly. The alpha inches slowly along the wall, until he comes to a window. Peaking into the window, he finds his target’s room. A beta girl the same age as him named Cassie Boyle. For her transgression of not accepting his polite refusal of her advances she will become his offering to Magni.
With slow controlled movements the young alpha pulled himself up and through the window. On feet soft as a dancer's, he eases his weight on to the other side of the window, careful not to cause any of the wooden planks to groan or shift loudly. The alpha slips his shoes off at the windowsill, then slowly makes his way to the sleeping girl.
Hannibal looks at her sleeping form as he stands over her, contemplating, he finds her as unflattering in her sleep as he did when the girl was awake. Without another moment of hesitation, the alpha places his hands around the girl and proceeds to start squeezing. Cassie’s eyes snap open, and the weak girl starts failing her arms at Hannibal in a poor attempt of self-defense. Hannibal squeezes harder until he is sure no sounds can escape the pitiful girl.
Once the fight drains out of the girl, and she passes out Hannibal cautiously pulls her out of the window with him. He ties her hands and feet together and gags her just in case the girl awakens before they arrive at their destination. Once she is properly restrained, Hannibal hefts her onto his shoulder and starts towards the edge of the forest where he had stashed the rack of antlers.
Hannibal drags the girl and the rack of antlers into the woods until he finds a clearance he deems suitable, then he begins preparing his offerings. Firstly the young alpha anchors the stag’s antlers into a tree, he makes sure the totem is weight bearing. As the alpha is securing his morbid mantle, the unconscious beta is starting to reawaken.
Her muffled groans and pleads disrupt the peaceful silence of the night. Hannibal mentally adds it to her list of crimes against him. Hannibal had chosen a location that was far enough away from the village that the screams Cassie Boyle makes as Hannibal cuts her eyes and tongue out will most likely not be heard and if they are, distorted enough to be mistaken for wolves and foxes. Hannibal chants under his breath and he pulls the girl’s dull eyes from her skull.
It is hours later by the time Hannibal deems his offering to Mangi worthy. At the completion of it, what used to be Cassie Boyle is now missing eyes, tongue, liver and both kidneys. Hannibal and made a small fire to burn the girl’s offending organs up to Magni, the Alpha did keep the kidneys for himself, they were monumentally better than whatever had been served at his uncle’s dinner table the previous night.
Hannibal makes it back into his room just as the first rays of the sun break across the sky. Luckily the alpha had used his time wisely enough he’d left himself enough to give a quick rinse in a nearby stream to avoid being caught in the village covered in blood. As Hannibal got ready for a short rest, he could hear the sound of light feet that did not belong to his uncle or the house staff scurrying to the front door.
The sun is high in the sky by the time someone dares come to disturb the sleeping alpha. A member of Robert’s staff has come to wake him for a late breakfast before he is sent into the woods to start his hunt. At the table, Robert greets him in a very pleasant mood. Hannibal sending a silent thank you to the omega seer for increasing his uncle’s mood to the point of the older male not mentioning Hannibal’s plan to hunt for wolves. After the meal a servant presents Hannibal with a rucksack packed with things the teen needs to survive a night out in the woods as well as bait, and hunting gear.
At the door, his uncle pulls the young male in for a hug. “Hannibal, I will not try to talk you out of hunting wolves…. Just be careful… You are the last- The last of my family and I do not want to lose you.” His uncle claps him firmly on the shoulder before sending the Alpha on his way. Hannibal starts making his way to the site of his tableau in hope the scent of blood has attracted local predators. As he passes by the hut assigned to the seer, he leaves an iris at the door.