Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A Crimson moon began to rise above Oakhurst, a town now destroyed, a town that once stood with pride fueled by its community. A town haunted by plague, death, famine. Or as some may say, Vampires. Foul creatures who lurked only when the sun cowered behind the horizon, picking off their victims one by one, their victims, those foolish enough to leave the safety of their homes after sunset or those kind enough to invite the creatures into their homes. But that was all old folk tales. Creatures who lurked in the night sucking blood? The closest thing in reality was a mosquito or a flea. Vampires don’t exist. The supernatural isn’t real.

~*~

Ren was only a teenager, 14 years old. Not old enough to have done anything notable in his life. Only really old enough to have lived, still not knowing the harshness of the world. His family was by no means rich, but they had a roof over their heads and dinner at the table every evening, so Ren would call that a win. He had heard horror stories of children his age starving and wasting away on the side of the street, the nobles, the people that could make a change in these poor children's life not even batting an eye at them, on scoffing as if these dying children were nothing more than an inconvenience for them.

And here sat Ren, alone outside his front door, the winter chill biting at his bare arms. The moon was rising above the house opposite him, it was full, shining brightly down at Ren as if smiling at him. Ren had always loved the Moon, in a life where he didn't have much, little more than a roof over his head and food on the table, all his parents' money put towards that. Never school. Ren could hardly read the title of the weekly paper. But he never complained he knew his parents worked hard, and that was how he ended up here alone outside his front door. His parents must have picked up late shifts tonight leaving Ren stranded in the bitter cold. And yet the Moon was a silent joy, always there, an always comforting presence, Always beautiful.

Ren pulled himself to his feet, there was no use waiting outside his home, it would be a good few hours till his parents arrived back. He might as well have a walk around, explore, just so he isn’t bored out of his mind. He stared at the Moon again and smiled at it, a warm comforting smile, a present to the Moon for all the times it comforted him. His footsteps echoed across his town, the streets eerily quiet, the winter was fast approaching and no one here wanted to risk hypothermia, knowing they would likely die from it or all their life savings would be lost trying not to die. Death was common around these parts. Ren tried not to dwell on it. It always made him upset.

“Oi Moron! What on earth do you think you’re doing!? You’ll freeze out there!”

A voice thankfully broke him from his thoughts, albeit still making him jump. It came from a person a little older than him, they had this fiery ginger hair that seemed slightly unkempt, their hands were coated in dirt as if from a long day of farming.

“Thanks for your concerns but I’ll be fine!”

Ren said while walking, never stopping to catch a proper glance at the person's face, the interaction almost immediately leaving his mind, never paying it a second thought, he knew it was cold, hell he could definitely feel it, but at least he wasn’t freezing bored out of his mind in front of his house. Maybe the extra exercise would put some extra heat into his bones, slow down the hypothermia, so maybe he could get home alive, isn’t that a nice thought. But he could only hope, and hope he did as he continued down the path.

As he reached the end of the road the houses were more sparsely placed, the gaps becoming larger and larger, unlike where he resigned where all the houses were closely packed together trying to conserve space, to make sure the poor don’t take up too much space. Valuable space that could be used for the noblemen. Ren wrapped his arms around himself and gazed at the houses as they got bigger and grander, the sort of house he would never get to live in, it was almost a privilege that he got to look at these houses. Even if it made tears swell up in his eyes. The idea of a life he will never have.

He forced his eyes away from the houses and focused on the end of the road where a forest sat, he was always warned never to enter them after sundown. Warnings of the wolves that lurked in them, he could always hear them howl from his house,from the safety of his bed, the noise a constant, a familiarity. The moon now appeared above the forest, shining bright, beckoning him into the woods, to follow it, to bask in its light. And Ren was a simple man and who was he to disagree. And with the Moon's silent request he was now heading straight for the woods.

~*~

He felt like he was being watched. The forest was silent but sometimes as he was walking it felt like his footsteps were double. Surely that was just the echo, right? Ren could feel his breath quickening. He’s sure the whole world could see his breath quickening in his cold. His chest felt unbearably tight. This couldn’t be his end surely. He had so much to live for. Didn’t he? Sometimes it feels like he's done nothing with his life. Like his only reason for continuing is the idea that things will get better. And sometimes he's not even entirely sure of that. He's not even literate. How is his life supposed to get better if he can’t even read. Maybe the Moon was beckoning him in for, to give him an easy way out.

Ren had made it to a clearing, the footsteps never straying too far. The Moon was on full display now, perfectly framed by the trees. Yet now the moon had a red glow to it, as if a warning for what was about to happen, yet it was still beautiful. It was rare he ever got to see a full moon this clear. And something makes him think this will be the last Moon he will ever see. A howl erupted from nearby, the sound sharply cutting through the silence. He could hear the footsteps clearly now, they were coming closer to him. Closer and closer. From right in front of him.

Fuck. He was dead. He was going to die. He was going to actually die.

Ren couldn't breathe now. His throat was too tight. His lungs too full of red hot fear to even consider breathing right now. His heart racing like never before. His whole body hurt. His eyes shot open. He didn’t even realise he had closed them. The fear had completely taken over his body, puppeteering him, bending him to its will.

A figure stood before him. Not the figure of a man. A figure of a creature, a monster. Way taller than any man he had seen before. It took a step forward into the moonlight, the red light of the moon engulfing the figure before him, all its features now becoming terrifyingly clear. Its body was caked in fur, jutting out at awkward angles, a mixture of mud, leaves and sticks tangled in it. As if it had been left out in the woods for days on end. Its mouth snarled at him, lined with what seemed like thousands of tiny razor-sharp teeth, stained with a sickly yellow. And its yellow eyes pierced through him watching his every move, daring him to run.

Ren's mouth was dry. Eyes impossibly wide. And he ran. His legs numb. His mind barely hadn’t caught up with his body yet, still replaying the image of the creature before him. The creature's wolf-like ears twitching with each gust of wind, and it let out a howl towards the moon and began to chase. The familiar sound of footsteps now following Ren, catching up way quicker than Ren would like. He could almost feel the creature’s steps thudding in his heart, making running harder and harder as his legs began to screen with pain, mimicking his heart's scream of terror.

Then white hot pain exploded throughout his back, and he came cascading down to the floor, hitting his nose in the process causing it to break with a sickening crack. His breath was lost once again. His body curled in on itself, desperate to protect his vital organs. All attempts were fruitless though as the creature ripped his body into a more ideal position, its claws sinking into the soft flesh of Ren’s stomach, leaving him practically immobile with fear and sheer force. Ren let out a strained cry. Out of pain. Out of desperation. And Out of sheer sadness. His life, ever so meaningless, was over. He was sentenced to die in the cold, completely and utterly alone.

The beast's teeth shone in the moonlight, the red hue making it seem like they were coated in the blood of victims before. And all Ren was was more blood to add to the horrible mixture, not even significant in death. The jaw of the beast opened with a snarl and instantaneously clamped round his neck with a crunch. Ren could see his own blood squirt up into the air, it made him wanna throw up. A heartwrenching sob squeezed its way out of Ren, as everything went black. And with that the pain was over.

Chapter Text

Ren awoke. Ren awoke? He wasn't dead? Omg he wasn’t dead. How? How on earth had he survived? He watched himself get ripped to shreds. That creature had punctured his neck, left him to bleed out all alone, nothing but the chill of the night to keep him company. Well the chill of the day. The sun was now peering at him from the gaps between the trees, as if finally coming out of hiding after a horrible experience. Ren's mind was restless, so many thoughts rushing through it. Hot unbridled fear taking the front seat, yet alongside it sat relief. He was alive. Dear God he was alive. Ren could feel his eyes tear up. He felt so grateful.

Ren lifted a heavy hand up to his face to brush a stray hair from his face, a hair that seemed way longer than he remembered, it was probably fine. But when his hand reached his face and brushed his hair, his face began to hurt. He abruptly pulled his hand away from his face. Red was painted across his hands, across his claws. Across his Claws? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. He had claws. He has claws. His breath caught in his throat. A choked sob squeezed out of him. He felt sick. These weren’t his hands. They couldn’t be. These were the hands of a monster, a beast. Not Ren.

Ren sprung to his feet, breaking out into a run, stumbling over the debris underneath his feet. The pain in his back completely gone, as well as his stomach and his neck. This wasn’t right. Ren fell over onto his knees right before a lake, he barely recognised his own face. His hair was unkempt, as one would expect from spending a night in the woods, but it was all wrong his hair wasn’t long. It was no longer than a couple of inches, yet now it flowed down his back. Full of volume, almost like the creature he had seen last night. His own reflection scared him, reminding him of what had happened last night his hands felt clammy fear lacing his entire body.

His face looked rugged, way beyond his years. His cheek bled, bled from the cut he caused with his own hand, his own claw. And upon his neck he could see a Scar, a scar painted across it as if to tell the world what had happened to him. Ren may have been attacked by a monster, but now he was a monster. Ren didn’t know what to do. Yet his body cried out, sobs echoing across the forest, screams and begs falling helplessly from his mouth.

~*~

It had been a month since that day. Ren still struggles to look at himself in the mirror. He doesn’t speak much anymore, in fear that if he opens his mouth too wide his protruding canines would be on show to everyone. So he doesn’t speak. And if anyone cared enough to ask why he finally shut up, he had a well prepared story about his tongue being cursed. Even though the reality of his situation was much worse. He was a freak. An outcast. More so than he was before.

Family dinners are eerily silent, his parents never asking why he disappeared for a week. They never truly cared what he did as long as he didn’t get into trouble that would disrupt them. His life seemed lonelier than ever, he now felt he could no longer find familiarity in people. As if he were too far gone, too awful to even reside near them. For hours Ren would sit in his room, alone. No sound escaping him, except the occasional sob which he desperately tried to stifle with his pillow. A pathetic monster, a creature so awful with teeth and nails that could kill and yet here he was sobbing into a pillow afraid of his own reflection.

As Ren laid there his back began to hurt, it began to ache and groan his bones feeling like they were growing and stretching. He let out a quiet cry of discomfort, and began to roll over onto his back. Tiny pinpricks began to blossom over his skin, not an area free from the pain. It only getting worse with every breath, with every second. In quick succession his jaw began to hurt, his teeth feeling almost too big for his mouth, and then a crunch echoed across his room, followed quickly by a scream of pain. His own scream of pain. His eyes shot open, bulging out of his head and looking over to the right where his window stood.

A full moon was rising from behind the trees.

Oh Shit. Red hot pain engulfed Ren's entire body, his bones shifting out of place, hair growing all across his entire body, the muscles in his face extending changing the shape of his face, until he almost perfectly mirrored the beast that ruined his life.

Ren launched himself out his window, desperate to hide away from everyone. Desperate not to become the beast that did this to him.

And with a howl, Ren was gone. He had taken off to the forest in an attempt to hide away.

~*~

Ren was cowering off the side of the path, his hideous monstrosity of a body slumped behind a tree. His too big limbs folded uncomfortably beneath him. His paw-like hand held towards his mouth, his newly grown canines mindless nipping at the skin. All Ren's energy was focused on staying perfectly still, god knows what would happen if he lost control of himself, maybe he would subject someone else to the torture he was living.

Keeping himself under control was proving a rather difficult task, especially as the moon rose above him, his now yellow eyes gazed up at the moon as if it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. As if it was drawing him in for a hug, yet as it did it would quietly whisper in his ears. Trying desperately to convince Ren to lose control, to run wild. To kill. Ren couldn’t, wouldn’t, he doesn't think he could live with himself if he murdered another human being. If he could even be classed as one anymore. Ren’s nails dug into the flesh of his thigh, a desperate attempt to distract himself from the allure of the Moon.

Snap.

The sound of a branch breaking could be heard in the distance. Followed by footsteps. What on earth was someone doing out this late, Ren's breath caught in his throat in anticipation, in desperation not to kill anyone. A man could be seen emerging from the treeline, cheerfully walking down the path, a nicely wrapped gift cradled gently in his arms. Ren's attempts at holding himself back instantly were for nothing as all his eyes could focus on was the man walking upon the path. Ren snarled. And the moon seemed to cheer with joy.

The figure of a monster began to appear before the man, yet this time the monster was Ren. He was becoming the thing he swore not to be, the thing he tried so desperately to stop himself from becoming. Yet here he stood in front of this helpless man, bloodlust swirling in his vision. And with a howl he leapt forward towards the man.

~*~

Red painted the floor. Red painted Ren’s hands. Red painted Ren’s teeth. Internal organs still hung off Ren's fingers. A chunk of flesh still hung from the side of his mouth. The moon was now cowering behind the trees. Ren’s thoughts began to return to him. Tears began to swell in his eyes. He had just killed a man.

He was gonna be sick. Ren couldn’t bear to look at what he’d done. He threw himself back into the woods, making sure to conceal himself further in the woods than before, further than he had ever travelled into them before. Just to hide his awful face from anyone or anything he was capable of hurting.

Ren really hated the Moon.

~*~

The present lay unopened on the floor. Yet a card had fallen off the top of it. And in that card it read.

“To my Darling Shubble

Happy Birthday, I am so proud of all that you have achieved. And I am so glad I get to spend this birthday with you.

Love from Your Father.”

Chapter Text

It had been 15 years since that awful day. The memory still haunts him. The thought of the man's blood. The way his mind contorted to the will of the moon. He wonders what happened to the body, how the man's family felt. Some awful selfish part of him hoped they didn't care, but that was only to try and cure his own unwavering guilt. Even after all these years he still viewed himself as the out of control monster that killed that man. He was better at controlling himself now, better at hiding. He had perfectly crafted his fake identity, all his distractions. Now Renhardt Dogmourne, the bartender, walked the lands, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistakes past Ren made, right?

~*~

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Ren walked through the forest, the forest a place far too familiar to him, a place where he hid, a place where he cowered, a place where he hurt. Yet the forest he walked through currently, was vastly unfamiliar. The sun was rising from beyond the horizon, lighting up the forest with a soft orange. With the recent loss of night the wolves began to retreat, yet not before they let out one last howl at the retreating moon. It made Ren shiver, that sound way too familiar, he could almost feel the way that sound echoed in his own throat, reminding him of a part of him that he despised, a part of him that he feared.

He had left his home in the Capital to a small town he had heard of called Oakhurst. A town shrouded in mystery, with many different legends surrounding it. A place that seemed to welcome the outcasts, a place that already had enough going on to not notice everything that was wrong with him. Maybe he won't feel like such a freak here, maybe he will learn to not despise himself, maybe he will finally find belonging.

He slowly approached the town, the jagged walls building upon the horizon, the walls reminding him of thorns, or something from a story he got told when he was but a boy. Before everything went wrong, before he shut himself out from society. He was now face to face with the gate into the town, it looked nothing like he imagined, he could hardly even call it a town, no building remained whole, no people walked the streets. He guessed it made sense, it was truly foolish of him to imagine a society where he could fit in.

He entered the town and gazed at the ruins of the town, and wandered around aimlessly, hoping that something, anything would appear, something to make his travels worthwhile. Towards the other side of the town he could see some curly ginger hair appear from beyond the walls, wandering around the ruins mirroring his own actions. Ren tried to gather his thoughts together, gathering the courage to speak to the new person. It felt like it had been years since he had had a proper conversation with another person, not that he felt he should be considered a person.

“Well hello there traveller, what brings yee to the ruins of oakhurst”

Ren spoke in his practised accent, it slipped out with ease, from years of hiding, with desperation to make himself seem normal. He always knew in his mind he would never fit in, but the selfish part of him that craved companionship needed this, even if he knew some part of it was never real.

“Oh jeez! That's one hell of a voice! Oh wait! I know you! You were that one kid who went missing for like 4 months! What happened man? And what's with the stupid voice?”

Ren didn’t recognise the person in front of him, then again the last 15 years of his life have been living hell, he hadn’t had time to learn faces and those before the incident he tried to forget.

“Oh I am sorry but I do not recognise thee, these last few years have been oh so busy dontcha know. And my voice, you see my tongue was cursed when I was but a boy. Who might you be then and what bring you these ruins?”

“Cursed? Yeah right. Anyway I’m Cleo and I wasn’t expecting this place to be this much of a dump. I’m here searching for the family homestead, as my family was originally from here. And we lived on the same street, I think i saw you once wandering the streets in the freezing winter, you mad man”

Ah. That day. The day he lost it all.

“I am sorry but I do not remember thee, Tracing back the family footsteps I see. That is very noble of you indeed, dontcha know. I am here after a long 2 year travel, me mams dying wish was for me to find this place, but I did not expect it to be this destroyed”

Ren spoke with practised ease, the story he had repeated over and over again, making sure there were not cracks. This lie had to be perfect. He had to be perfect.

“Helloooo!!”

A new voice joined the group.

“Hii I’m Shubble and this is Drift. We didn’t expect there to be other people out here, especially after seeing the state this place was in.”

“Well Hello There! What a shock it is to see other fellows in these here ruins. Now it does intrigue me what you two are doing here.”

Ren said towards the new people, instantly feeling uncomfortable with the new presence, he came here to hide away, to find solace within himself. However now he felt more exposed than ever, it made his skin twitch, his nails sharpen. A trait he tried ever so hard to push back, not liking the reminder that part of him was built for killing. He was a good guy, it was just hard to convince himself of that sometimes.

“Ooooo! You’re from somewhere fun! And I am here because I am pretty sure bigfoot is in those woods, and I’m gonna find him!”
“Bigfoot??!” Ren and Cleo replied in sync, Ren almost losing his accent out of shock, but he was far too practiced in it to lose it for long.

“Yeah she’s crazy” Drift added “I’m a detective, And this town is shrouded in so much mystery, I came here to solve them all but I did actually expect this place to have a population. Unless either of you are from here?”

“No alas I am not, But I am Renhardt Dogmourne and I embarked on a quest to find this place, to find a ho-” Ren paused, getting almost too caught up in his theatrics to realise his mistake. “For me Mam, she instructed me to find this place upon her deathbed as she took her final breath” A lie. Ren doesn’t think he had spoken to his mother properly in years. After the incident he tended to block everyone out, in fear or hurting them or worse.

“I mean originally yeah, my family came from here but I came from the capital. Same town as this big lug, even if he doesn’t recognise me. Oh, I’m Cleo by the way.” Added Cleo, after Ren had stopped his theatrics.

“Ooooo How Lovely! And Drift I am not crazy!”

“When you start talking about bigfoot and the supernatural I can’t help but think you are. At the end it all boils down to people-”

“Nooo I know there’s monsters and I’m gonna prove it” Shelby replied hastily trying to prove her point. Cleo laughed at the squabbling between the two strangers in front of them.

Ren was far too lost in his own head about the casual talk of the supernatural and monsters, he came here to hopefully get away from it all. And with his luck obviously he just had to get stuck here with someone that believed in all of this crap. If Ren had the choice he wouldn’t believe any of it, but after having your life ruined by the things no one believes in you tend to believe anything. Werewolves. Fae. And even Vampires, which he had never seen before. But some instinctual part of him despised that idea, it made the hairs on his neck stand up and his claws extend.

And then a barrage of more new voices appeared from across the town, it made Ren stand on edge, his ever sensitive ears weeping at the multitude of voices surrounding him.

Dear God what has he gotten himself into.

Chapter Text

What seemed like hundreds of voices filled Ren’s ears, the grating sound of new voices like nails on a chalkboard to his sensitive ears. The barrage of sound an assault on his ears, instantly bringing him away from reality and further into his head to try and block out the sound and the newly gathering crowd. He came here for a better life and yet he already felt ever so overwhelmed by everything, his life probably would have been better if he was found after he became a murderer and was stoned to death by the local towns folk, probably some familiar faces ever so disgusted by the creature he had become. He was probably being dramatic, surely these people can’t be that bad, he was probably just weary from his travels.

“This is consecrated ground where the supernatural lives amongst us.”

Yeah not a chance. This was probably the worst group of people he could be trapped with as a monster, a creature built for killing, controlled by the moon's light. When the moon was full her being his only mercy, her light almost comforting yet not enough to forget about the unforgettable things she made him do, in the shadows of the night. But now was no time to wallow in his sadness and woes he had a show to put on. Ren sucked in a shaky breath before speaking for the first time towards the group that had gathered.

“You cannot speak so freely about the supernatural my boy, you’ll scare this lovely lot of people dontcha know.’”

“And might you be?” a voice to the right of him chimed in.

“I am Renhardt Dogmourne, I am from thee capital but these past 2 years I have been on a perilous journey to find the town of Oakhurst, it was me mams dying wish. But I was quite taken aback to see the state of this place when I got here. I do wonder what happened to this place” Ren stated Ominously as he stared off into the distance for added dramatic effect.

“Hotdogmoon? What a beautiful last name!” An upbeat voice joined in.

“Ah yes my accent is hard to follow even at the best of times, and who might you be good Sir” Ren replied back hastily, almost subconsciously growling at the audacity this man had to compare him to the moon. Him and the moon were nothing alike. The moon was cruel. And he was- cruel. But he strived to be better and never let the monster inside him take control properly, not after that day.

“I am Mythical Sausage! And I am here to collect the inspiration I need for my next best selling book.”

“His books are awesome, very very accurate” He heard Shubble, He thinks that was her name, whisper to the people beside her. He has never heard of this guy before, then again he was never fortunate enough to learn to read.

“Guys!! Guys!! We need to stop all this talk!! Don’t you know about all the unspeakable things that have happened on this land!!” This piqued Ren's interest, he directed his attention towards the purpled eyed man.

“Unspeakable things? Dontcha know, please tell us all.” Ren added; eager to know what this man knew, maybe he knew too much and Ren's own sanctity may be jeopardised.

“Um err Well maybe someone that was close to me isn't around anymore because of things that came from this place.” The man hastily explained being annoyingly vague. Ren sympathised with the man though, if he lost someone close to him he wouldn't want to dwell on it either, well he kind of did lose someone close to him. The person he was before he
became a killer, before he destroyed an innocent man's life.

Ren could hear the conversation built around him as he was trapped in his head plagued by his memories. He really has to stop thinking about all of this so much. It happened over a decade ago. Why was he not over this?

“The supernatural is all around us!” The purple eyed man shouted. And Ren felt an invisible spotlight on himself, that no one could see but Ren knew it was there and Ren knew he didn’t belong here. “I’m Avid by the way”

“I see Young Avid. You seem to know about the dangers of this place then. So, what brought you here?” Ren added needing to know for his own peace of mind how much this guy knew.

“Revenge.”

This struck a chord in Ren's heart. He understood Avid's pain, he understood why he would want to fight, to kill. But after everything that had happened to Ren he tried to take the pacifistic route. He knew this wasn’t always viable but he hated the idea of hurting someone so much.

“Ah! I see. Don’t be getting ahead of yourself with that my boy” Ren warned, he had to say something just so he didn’t feel as at fault if anything did happen. He could say he tried to stop it, unlike when he committed cold-blooded murder. “It has been a pleasure meeting you all but I must say I want to explore the town even more, dontcha know.”

Ren turned on his heel and began to venture further into the town, letting his eyes wander over the broken desolate buildings that he knew used to be brewing with life. Yet now stood desolate and rejected. Yet as he embarked on his mission he ended up walking straight into someone, his mind way too preoccupied with his own thoughts to pay attention to the whereabouts of others. In his defence he didn’t expect even more people to show up to these ruins in the middle of nowhere.

“Oh I am very sorry about that, my eyes are not what they used to be” Ren's eyes moved to the woman in front of him. She was very tall, about the same height as him, and had this long brown flowing hair that definitely looked like it didn’t belong in a village that was this destroyed. Yet Ren felt a connection with her like some part of him was connecting him to her. This was particularly odd as usually he was completely aversed to nobles. He wondered what part of his soul was drawing him to her. “Ah! A new face! Who might you be?”

“Hiya! I’m Pearl. I lost my entire family. So! I’m trying to start a brand new life” Ren instantly felt sympathy for her, no matter how much of a bombshell that was to drop first conversation, but some part of him was desperate to comfort her. It truly bamboozled Ren, he doesn’t know why any of this is happening. He had only met this woman, had barely spoken 10 words to her, yet they already felt connected.

“Wow! That was one hell of a bomb to be dropped the first time meeting somebody” A new voice chimed in, a man with cyan hair and billowing robes that screamed nobility. Ren wasn’t really paying attention, in favour of staring at Pearl trying desperately to figure out what was going on, maybe he knew her? No it can’t be he doesn’t know any nobles. Nobles don’t associate with people like Ren. Not even before he became a monster.

“My dad was killed by a werewolf.”

Ren’s blood went cold. His face went pale. His stomach turned inside out. He felt sick. He was going to throw up; he was actually going to be sick.

No. There's no way of knowing that it was him surely.

“Yeah, we found him in the woods just beside the capital.”

Ren lived in the capital by the woods.

“It was truly devastating as it was my birthday too”

The man was holding a present.

“Yeah so it was around mid December”

It was December.

Fuck. Shit.

Not only had Ren killed a man but the daughter of the man now stood before him looking heartbroken.

Ren felt his heart stop for a second, all the blood drained from his face and he could feel a lump in his throat. Ren was shaking now. His claws digging deep into the flesh of his palm and his breath slowly getting more rugged. It felt like he couldn’t breathe like the whole world had been stripped of its oxygen. He tried not to make too much noise in fear of drawing attention to himself, yet it was a fruitless attempt.

“Hey man are you okay-” Pearl started to say

“I'M FINE!” Ren shouted back before turning on his heels once more and sprinting out of the walls of the town. He heard muffled shouts behind him. He couldn’t reply to them. He didn’t deserve to be here. He had caused so much heartbreak.

Ren felt so unbelievably sick.

Chapter Text

Ren could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he dashed out of town and towards the forest. He could barely breathe. He could feel his throat closing up. His guilt wrapping its cold unwavering hands around his neck, reminding him of all he had done wrong. All the people he had hurt. He had killed a man. And now that man's child stood before him mere seconds ago, her face laced with the pain of that loss. On her birthday too, what sort of monster kills a child dad, let alone on her birthday.

His legs kept moving, he ran until he couldn’t anymore, his feet carrying him mindlessly as he brain dwelled on the past. That one moment playing on his mind. The moment that cemented his loss of humanity. He may have gotten turned into an inhuman creature, but it didn’t give him the right to kill. Didn’t give him the right to be a monster. All his wallowing and guilt and forgiveness he begged for wouldn’t make him any less of a monster.

He collapsed. His legs could no longer support him. The adrenaline had left his body. His legs burned. He could taste the dirt in his mouth, taste the blood in his mouth- Blood?! In the stress of it all his canines had bitten down straight into his tongue, a reminder of the beast he is. Now he laid there in the mud. Completely alone in the woods, tears streaming down his face.

“Oi, What are you doing out in the woods all alone specs.”

A voice. An unfamiliar voice. Not one of the people he met earlier, he didn’t know whether to be grateful or fearful. He looked up from his spot, still slightly covering his face. Observing the man in front of him, he had a white flowing shirt with a green cravat, and a cape that fell down his back with a collar that reached higher than normal. And blonde hair that was almost wild in the light of the setting sun, but what truly stood out was the man's piercing blue eyes that almost had a reddish hue in the light of the setting sun. Ren thought he was quite handsome, but that was between Ren and himself. There was something that confused him though, the overwhelming sense of dread Ren felt from the man before him.

“Oh it is nothing, just got a little spooked dontcha know. You know how it can be around these parts.”

And with his words the man before him widened his eyes, as if he had noticed something or realised something. He looked at Ren as if he had done something horrible, jeez did he really look that bad. Ren slowly dragged himself up so he was now sitting, looking up at the man before him, roughly wiping at his eyes while trying not to scratch his own eye out. He tilted his head to the side inquisitively as if silently asking the man what was wrong. And the man answered with one word.

“Werewolf.”

And now Ren's eyes widened mimicking the actions of the person before him, he felt his mouth go dry and his stomach churned. How did he know? How the fuck did he know? He knew he felt something off about this man. But how had he noticed so quickly? So Inhumanly fast. Ren felt sick to his stomach. How had his cover been blown so quickly? His true monstrous nature now in the air, hanging heavy around the pair.

“H-how did you- I mean it is not nice to make such bold accusations, dontcha know” Ren stuttered out, losing his accent, before quickly correcting himself.

“It’s really not hard to, Well your blood- Well it reeks of werewolf.” the man said matter- of-factly, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on the unsuspecting man sitting on the floor in front of him. Ren barely knew what to say. His blood?? Was this man- I mean he knows that werewolves exist he's living proof of that. But he had never come across any other creature similar to him before. Ren just stayed staring at the man in front of him. “I know it must be a big ol shock for you to see a creature of the night before you, huh Specs?”

That was an understatement. Ren came out here to escape himself, yet his true nature got shoved in his face harder than ever. The man walked towards Ren and slumped down on the floor next to Ren. Gazing over at him, as if studying him for something. Yet that something Ren couldn’t quite figure out.

“I’m Martyn, And who might you be specs. A werewolf with a silly accent?” Martyn questioned. Taking Ren aback, it was as if everything he hated about himself was taunting him. All because of this mystery man. Ren thought about the situation he was in. Was it really worth keeping up this accent? It was all a distraction anyways. And all his distractions were for naught, because of this stupid stupid vampire that now sat beside him. As if nothing were wrong. As if they both weren't monsters.

“I am Ren, but please refrain from calling me that” Ren decided the accent wasn’t worth the trouble. His throat already hurt from the tears. And the stress. The accent wasn’t worth it at all.

“Hm Interesting, a werewolf who hates his title. I wonder why that could possibly be?” Martyn's brow furrowed, while a smirk pulled at his lips and he began to observe Ren more thoroughly as if something on Ren's face would give Martyn the answer he was looking for.

“That is a very upfront question Mister. But I do fear the answer is an obvious one, I am but a monster, a creature made for lurking in the night and causing destruction." Ren said, refusing to make eye contact with the stranger beside him, settling for staring at the setting sun instead. He barely knew this man. All he knew is they had a common struggle, they were both monsters. And seemingly enough that was enough for Ren to blabber on to this man.

“So?” The man looked at him confused. “You’re a creature of the night. Have fun with it!” The man said with a grin. “And if you misheard it’s Martyn not Mister, you should get your hearing checked Specs.” Martyn said, patting Ren on the shoulder as he spoke.

“So? So??! I killed a man, Martyn! I was made a Monster! How am I meant to have fun!” Ren said, slightly lashing out at the man. How could he speak so casually about something so awful. They were both monsters and yet there was a divide between them. It was sickening that this man seemed to revel in the idea of causing pain. Ren wanted to find solidarity with the person sat beside him, but it seemed they both had very different out looks on their situations. “What gives you the right to find all this destruction alright?”

The man chucked slightly “You killed one man? I have killed thousands, and felt no remorse, quite the opposite actually, I enjoyed slaying each and every one of them. After time it just becomes natural. A guy's gotta eat.” Martyn shrugged and then pulled himself to his feet and stood in front of Ren, the sunset illuminating his form, casting a shadow upon Ren. “You don’t have to hate yourself. This could be a good thing. And I could help you with that.” The man spoke a grin plastered across his face, holding out a hand for Ren to grab.

Ren was stunned for a moment at the sudden proposal. He looked from his hand up to Martyn's face, mulling over the decision. Ren didn’t want to hurt people, Ren couldn’t hurt people again. He would never forgive himself. But a chance and all this guilt and hatred going away was almost too good of an offer to decline. Those thoughts plagued his mind every second of the day for the last 15 years, he was getting desperate.

The sun was nearly completely gone now, it was getting much darker now not that the pair seemed to notice or care. Every possible situation ran through Ren’s head. In the end he decided what to do.

“I accept.” Ren said, grabbing Martyn’s outstretched hand. “But I'm not hurting anyone” Ren added, Martyn just nodded along while smiling his fangs on full display and shook Ren's hand and began to drag him towards Oakhurst.

“Cmon specs, We gotta get to that crumby town.”

“Okay Okay, but you did hear me right. I will not be hurting anyone.”

“Sure sure. You will not be hurting anyone” Martyn replied as the pair kept walking. “Yet” He muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothingg!”

And they walked off into the forest in the direction of Oakhurst, the moon rising slowly shining its light down across the forest.

A Waxing Gibbous.

Chapter Text

Ren followed the new man blindly, still barely knowing anything about him, and the things he did know about him he wished he didn’t. Ren was so drawn to this man yet all parts of him were on edge, screaming danger. This man was a vampire, the hereditary enemy of creatures like himself, and not only that but he had blatantly confessed to the murder of thousands. The man he had just met, the one now leading him through the forest hand in hand had killed thousands, and Ren was still grasping his hand. Wait what- Oh. Ren was still holding this stranger's hand, the man ever so alluring yet ever so dangerous. Ren quickly upon realising ripped his hand away from Martyn’s, the man did have a name Ren should probably start using it. This caused Martyn to stop for a moment and turn around wondering if something had happened.

“What was that for?” Martyn asked simply, as if Ren hadn’t been holding his hand mere moments ago.

“Err I was holding your hand I thought it might be weird all things considered”

“Eh, I didn’t mind. You aren’t that bad looking you know specs” Martyn responded with a quick wink before turning back round and continuing the journey towards the town. Ren remained stationary for a second while his brain caught up with what was said. “Wait! W-what!! You can’t just say that to a man!” Martyn just cackled at Ren’s response and continued walking.

Then for the rest of that journey they walked in comfortable silence, walking side by side, after Ren had caught up to Martyn, not wanting to get lost in the woods on his very first day in this new place. It felt odd that this was his first day here, he felt connected to this place, like being here was where he was meant to be, it was probably nothing. He was probably just stressed from all that had happened in the past few hours, or maybe he would get the comfort and acceptance he so craved here after all. Ren should stop being so hopeful, he knows better than anyone that hope only ever leads to disappointment.

“We are almost at the town specs. Might wanna consider warming up that ever so charming accent of yours, dontcha know.” Martyn said with a grin, slightly mocking Ren.

In the chaos of it all Ren had almost forgotten about the fact he needed to hide, that he had something to hide. He was a monster. How could he forget so easily? How could one conversation with this vampire make him forget so easily? He wishes he could forget all the time, to be free from his curse, but that was selfish. He needed to keep himself in check, what if he lost control again and hurt someone. Ren doesn’t think he could live with the consequences of that. Yet mere minutes ago he was holding hands with a killer.

“You’re right, would be suspicious for me to come back with a completely different accent.” Ren replied, easily slipping back into the accent he had sported before. Ren looked forth and could see the jagged walls of town appear on the horizon. He took a deep breath, held it, then released it. He was sure to be questioned about his quick getaway, Ren dreads the barrage of questions that was soon to be inflicted upon him. Maybe he could pretend to pass out, like a goat does? No. No. That would only create more questions. Maybe he could just run? Again? No. No. He will just have to face it like a man, not that he has the right to be considered one anymore.

And with that thought the pair entered through the gate into Oakhurst, the same gate that he left from before. It’s strange getting deja vu from a place you've been to only once. Now being in the threshold of town his ears could pick up quiet whispers coming from the ruins of a nearby house. He couldn’t quite pick up what they were saying, so he gestured to Martyn to follow him so they could see who it was and what was going on.

“I’m just saying he’s definitely a werewolf”

“You can’t just accuse someone you met once of being a werewolf! That's beside the point anyways, werewolves don’t exist”

Ren’s mouth hung open, and his eyes darted to Martyn who had an indistinguishable expression adjourned on his face. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking, if Ren had to hazard a guess he’d say it was something between amusement and annoyance? But that was only his best guess, who knows what could possibly be going on in this man's head. Some part of Ren does long to know more though, wishes he could know all the thoughts that run through this man's head.

And then Martyn had moved from his eyeline and was now in the doorway, if it could even be considered that, speaking boldly to the group he had never met before.

“I think I found your missing guy!” Martyn exclaimed gesturing towards where Ren stood just out of sight. He took this as he cue to walk up to the group, his mind already preparing himself for the onslaught of questions he was sure to endure, he doesn’t even know how he will answer most of them. Once Ren was within everyone's vision he let out a sheepish “Hey” paired with an awkward wave.

And with his one spoken word he nightmares became reality. “Where did you go?” “What happened?” “Are you alright?” “What were you thinking running off into the night?” Ren didn’t know how to respond so he just stood there, his eyes every once and a while looking at Martyn for- just something. He didn’t know exactly what but he just wanted the questions to stop.

“Guys! Stop! I thought we all agreed not to barrage him with questions” A familiar voice cut through, the ever comforting voice from earlier, a voice he had only heard once yet was so drawn too. “You, Come with me” Pearl added, now directing her speech at Ren, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the doorway. However, Ren missed the warning glance Pearl shot at Martyn as they passed him, and that Martyn put his hands up, as if to say ‘I wasn’t doing anything’.

Pearl led Ren away from the building and from everyone else, away from prying eyes and lips that craved to spill gossip. They ended up in the ruins of another house, this one being more of an L shape than a square like the other. It did little to hide them away but at least they were on the opposite side of town.

“I know you probably don’t want questions, but I just wanna make sure you are okay. When you ran off it gave me quite the spook.” Pearl said, offering comfort to Ren. And to Ren's surprise it worked, he did feel calmer. Pearl, this stranger, presence was very comforting, like they had some sort of bond, or some form of something, familiarity that was bringing them together. It was an odd experience, but Ren was glad, he was glad he got to experience even an inkling of comfort in this horrible place. Even if he didn't know what sparked it.

“Your worry is very kind, but I assure you you have nothing to worry about, dontcha know. Old Renhardt is doing just fine.” Ren replied, brushing off the worry. He did not want her to worry, it would only draw attention to all that is wrong with him. He couldn’t let another person see the monster within him.

“I need you to be honest with me. Are you alright? And did that blondie do anything?” Pearl said, leaning forward to grab his hands. As if to promise him something, but that something was never said. Or try and get him to confess to something, something that she already knew, but wanted him to say for himself. She couldn’t possibly- There was no way. Or maybe Ren just didn’t want to believe it.

But why was she so paranoid about Martyn? She hadn’t spoken a word to him yet seemed so sure that he had done something to Ren. Maybe she's just paranoid, stranger danger and all that. Then again Ren supposes he hasn’t been following that rule very well.

“I am all fine. Not a scratch upon my body. I am alright. I suppose being in this new place with so many faces has just thrown me off, I am sure to be better in the morn.”

“If you say so…” She replied disheartened, looking at Ren with big disappointed eyes. Ren's heart ached at the thought of making her upset, but it is what must be done. Ren could not reveal the true beast that he is. No matter how much his heart screams that this woman was trustworthy. “I hope you feel better soon.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow evening, have a good night.” She added before walking off leaving Ren alone in the ruins of the house, his only comfort was the sound of the evening birds, and his only light, the light of the ever growing moon.

Ren probably just needed to sleep and it’ll all hopefully get better.