Chapter Text
Moonlight was shining through the trees, illuminating the still damp grass. No sounds could be heard except for the faint sound of footsteps stalking around the trees. Two figures were quietly making their way through the forest, keeping their steps quiet as not to alert any possible prey of their arrival. The biggest figure, that appeared to be a man, looked around with yellow eyes, sniffing the air. The smaller figure, a woman, was doing the same in a different area.
Both kept moving forward towards their usual hunting spot, making sure that the wind was not behind them so no prey would smell them before the two of them smelled the prey. The man stopped for a moment, the wind changed direction and was now coming from their left. He turned his head and took a deep breath. The woman also stopped, nose twitching as she looked at her partner in anticipation. She saw him perk up and nod in her direction. Amanda grinned, her mouth widening showing sharp teeth and elongated fangs. She already knew what it meant.
Tom had caught the scent of a deer further into the forest. Having been together for many years, no words had to be exchanged between the two. They already knew the roles they had to play. Tom followed the scent directly, while Amanda went around so she could intercept the deer when it would run away from the approaching Tom.
Making sure not to lose the scent as she made her way around, Amanda got in position, waiting for Tom to drive the deer towards her. She didn’t have to wait long. A flurry of sound was making its way towards her. She could see two shadows darting through the trees.
They were nearly there when the sound of something crashing into the ground and a young male voice cursing up a storm distracted them from their prey, causing it to change direction and disappear into the bushes. Tom was especially disgruntled, swearing under his breath.
“Now what in god’s name made such a ruckus?”
Amanda shrugged and started scenting the air. Because of their strong sense of smell, rivalling that of Blutbads, Amanda immediately picked up the scent of a young male with a strong stench of death. She shared a look with Tom, who had also caught onto the smell, giving him a nod and both of them took off following that foreboding scent, hoping they weren't too late.
They darted through the trees and bushes, following the scent until they could see a figure between the trees. The figure was short and clearly agitated, pacing around with their hands on their head. The scent of death Amanda had picked up was somewhat overwhelming this close by. It took them a little bit to get used to it. Observing the figure, it became clear that this was a child. A scared, possibly very ill or injured child, alone in a dark forest in the middle of the night. Amanda made a decision and before Tom could stop her, she stepped towards the boy, making her movements big and loud so that the child would know someone was approaching.
“Hello? Do you need help?”
The boy visibly flinched and got in a defensive position. His head whipped towards her and Tom, revealing two glowing green orbs that should be his eyes. A low growl escaped the boy’s lips as he took a step back.
“No, no! You don’t have to worry! We won’t hurt you. We only want to help. Are you injured?”
Tom wisely let Amanda take the lead as she had a more gentle nature. Tom had never really known how to talk to kids without making them scared of him. The growling stopped and the boy tilted his head to the side, observing them. Luckily for them, it was a full moon tonight and the dark clouds that had hidden it from view decided to leave at that moment, giving them a clear view of the boy. This, of course, also meant that he got a clear view of them.
Maybe he had heard the sincerity in her voice or maybe the fact that he could properly see them now made him lower his protective stance. Amanda could now see that the boy was not visibly injured, which was a relief. His clothes were dirty however. Probably from his apparent fall onto the forest floor, if the sound he had made was anything to go off of. Aside from the glowing eyes, she also noted sharp claws and fangs along with pointed ears. He was a wesen.
“Where are your parents, little one?”
This made the boy look to the side, not answering them. He transformed back to his human appearance. His eyes stopped glowing and the fangs and claws retracted. Amanda looked at Tom, a plea clear in her eyes. Tom signed and waved his hand at her, signalling for her to do what she wanted, reluctant as it was.
“My name is Amanda and this is Tom, we are Fuchsbaus. You are?”
The boy looked confused for a second before quietly answering her.
“Danny.”
“Danny, do you have a place to stay?”
He slightly shook his head, making her heart ache from the way Danny’s shoulders had sagged at the question.
“Come, you can stay with us if you like? Or we can take you to the police if you would rather go there now?”
Danny sharply shook his head.
“No! No! Uhem. I mean- sure if you are okay with me staying?”
Taken aback by the outburst, Amanda took a second longer to reply.
“Of course you can stay with us! We wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Now come, come. Let’s get you cleaned up and somewhere warm.”
Tom nodded his assent and turned around to start walking back. She gestured for Danny to follow her and Tom back to their little cabin. Hunting could wait for a bit. They had a cub to take care of.