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It was too loud. Too bright. His ears ached from the sound of screaming.
Humans.
They… he didn’t know what happened. Where was he? Why was he here? Where was –
Pain shot up his back. Hot, scorching like he’d touched iron. Shadows moved around him. Humans crept closer. They carried sticks, torches.
Iron.
They jabbed at him.
He smelled blood.
His blood.
Firelight flickered from all sides. He licked his lips. They felt swollen. His tongue was numb. He crept backwards on all fours. Rough stone scraped against his back. His wings fidgeted, but wouldn’t open.
The humans snarled at him. A man stepped forward and swung a torch close to his face. He turned his head and pressed himself tighter into the corner. The shadows welcomed him; familiar, comforting.
Why did he wake up here? He’d gone to sleep in the hollow of a tree. Not… not here. Snow began to fall. It collected on his bare shoulders even in the shadows. His fingers trembled.
“Monster!”
He didn’t know what he was. Was he a monster?
“Move.”
The humans parted, and two men stepped forward. Each man carried a long stick, their ends glinting in the firelight.
Iron.
They struck. He twisted away, but not far enough. Heat flowed down his ribs.
I’ll die if I stay here.
The men reared back again. He pushed forward out of the shadows. His wings spread, but didn’t lift him. Couldn't. Something was wrong. Needed to run. To hide. He pivoted hard on his heels and saw the dark treeline beyond the village. The humans rushed after him.
Let's go see the lights, little one. The village looks so lovely in the snow. Like fairy lights.
Who was that voice? Who...
Mother. Where was she?
Waiting for him. In the hollow of the tree.
Snow crunched under his feet, his hands. He broke past the first row of trees and threw himself into the shadows. His heart raced, his body throbbed. Pain in his wings. If he could fly, he could… could…
He looked back.
The bones of his right wing protruded through the skin. Jagged.
He remembered flying. Looking for something. Someone. When something hit him. He remembered watching the ground rush toward him. Felt the impact. The sudden cold.
Too cold.
Shh, in here.
Different voice. Rougher. A man?
White fur. Blue eyes. Teeth. Pushing him into that hollow. Disappearing into the snow.
He needed to find somewhere warm. He needed to find her. Why hadn’t he stayed with her? Listened? Stayed where it was warm and safe. The lights had been beautiful.
He pushed his legs harder. The trees blurred around him. His foot caught on an object hidden in the snow. The world opened up into darkness around him. His side hit the ground, and he rolled. Only stopped when his back struck a tree. Lights flickered at the top of the hillside.
The humans descended. He struggled to turn over. Couldn’t move. The humans circled him. A rock struck below his eye. He crawled backward. His hand touched something wet in the snow. Still warm. Blood. A creature laid on its side.
Wings.
Horns.
Glassy, green eyes.
A man stood over it, ripping the flesh from its body. The pelt… he knew that stripe below both eyes.
Mother.
The fear evaporated. Rage filled the gaps. He lunged for the hunter with bared teeth. They sank into flesh. His claws tore at their face.
His mother had been kind. She treated man like equals. Not food or entertainment.
The humans swarmed again. They beat at him with their weapons, stabbed him, and shouted. He felt the skin of his wings tear.
Someone ripped him away from the hunter, but they were already dead. He kicked hard and broke loose. Staggered away from them. He twisted around on his heel and drug himself backward through the snow. His vision swam. Darkened.
He dropped. His body refused to respond. His eyes slipped closed, and he readied for the end.
For death.
A roar echoed through the woods. His eyes opened in time to see a new creature; white with black spots. A wild, blue mane. Even wilder eyes. It jumped between him and the humans.
The creature that saved him. He knew their name. It was on the tip of his tongue, but refused to fall. His head ached too much. What was his name? Did he even have one?
“Leave!” The other fae snarled. Its hackles rose. There was blood on its jaws.
The humans froze. Several of them ran back toward the hill. The ones with iron lingered. One of them tried to stab the creature. It lashed its tail and lunged forward. It snapped the weapon in half. It leapt on the man. Tore into him. The others fled. It let them.
The pain was too much. His vision swam again. He struggled to focus. Black paws padded toward him. He felt tired. Death waited.
A rough tongue drug across his cheek. He looked up to see the other creature.
It licked him again, rumbled, “You’re safe.”
He whispered, “Safe?”
The creature, a cat-like thing, knelt down beside him. His hand stretched up to stroke his fingers through its fur. Warm, soft. He tangled his fingers in it. The cat shifted, and he climbed onto its back. They began to walk.
“Where are we going?” He laid his cheek against the cat’s neck. The warmth of its body bled into him. It felt familiar. Even its smell brought some comfort to his aching body.
The cat didn’t answer, but walked deeper into the woods. The lights of the human village faded. Even the moon hid behind the trees. The air shimmered around them, brushed against his skin. He could feel the pain in his body easing. The world around him shifted, blurred, and distorted.
He whispered, “Sa-safe.”
The cat rumbled an affirmative. Light flickered between the trees. Fairy lights, his mind supplied. The cat walked toward a cave between two large trees. It ducked its head to enter. Inside was warm and smelled like spiced wine. It also felt familiar. Like he'd been there before. Like he belonged.
The cat eased him off its back and onto a bed of soft furs. The cat sat back on its heels and shifted. No longer an animal, but a man. A man with wild blue hair, even wilder eyes to match, and a cat’s ears and tail.
He knew that he could change, too. Become something almost human. But it would hurt too much, so he laid down against the soft bedding. Watched the cat – the man – go about the cavern. The man returned with fabric and something that smelled foul. Burned, too, when he applied it to a wound.
The cat tsked when he whimpered, but gentled his hands. When the wounds were treated, the cat brought him warm broth. Helped him sit up. Helped him sip the bowl. When it was gone, the cat draped a heavy blanket over him and curled around him. He began to purr.
He eased down into the bedding and looked out of the mouth of the cave. He could see the fae dancing between the trees.
That… that’s what he was.
A fae. An unseelie.
He remembered. His eyes lifted to the cat. To his lover. He closed his eyes and pressed his ear to his love's chest. The cat's heartbeat lulled him to sleep.
In the morning, he would reclaim his mother. She would return to dance among the fairy lights. And the village would die.