#I’m not even talking folklore when I mention the quiet that predators cause

[asheorsomething]

If you never have been out in the country/rural areas/woods in the eastern part of the USA I have a list of things you should know about. We have lost and NEVER found hundreds of people in the forest around here.

Mountain lions are ambush predators if you see one don’t turn your back to it, back away slowly, no sudden movements, don’t take your eyes off it until it leaves, and book it the fuck out of there. When I say keep your eyes on it I do not mean look it directly in the eyes, I’m saying make sure it knows you see it at all times. Black bears are skittish, but do not think they aren’t dangerous. They are protective of their cubs and can become aggressive if they feel cornered or get desperate. Keep that in mind when you’re out there and follow the local bear safety protocols. Male deer during mating season are aggressive and can and will charge you, those antlers are sharp, they can reach 68 kg sometimes more, and can run 56 to 64 km an hour, you can get seriously hurt or killed if they charge you. There are a lot of venomous and non venomous snakes in this country and they can be hard to tell apart, and while most are more scared of you than you are of them there are some outliers. Do not touch, harass, or chase ANY snakes you might encounter, it’s not a risk worth taking especially when some species have venom that can kill you in 30 minutes to an hour. Just put around a meter of space between you and the snake and walk around it. A good thing to remember is that when predators are around things tend to get quite, be aware of the noise and or lack there of and know that you should not stay if there’s predators in the area.

Stay on the trails and make sure to tell someone where you’re going, when you should be back, and if possible have them take a picture of you before you get on the trail. The forest here are MASSIVE, can hard to navigate, are filled with rugged terrain, fast moving water, sheer drops of cliffs with no rails or warning signs, and dangerous wildlife. If you wonder off, fall, get lost, or need help you have a high chance of not being found alive especially if no one knows where you are or where to start looking. It is important if people know to start looking for you sooner rather then later as it can increase the chance you’ll be found alive. If a trail is closed it’s because it’s not safe, talk to the park rangers about what trails are open and what to beware of while out.

The weather is not to be underestimated. Flash floods, heavy snow, extreme heat, and strong wind are all very common and very dangerous. We can get OVER a metre of snow in some places and if you get stuck in it you can and will freeze to death. A good rule of thumb is if you can’t get out of it quickly help can’t get to you quickly. The heat is no joke, bring lots of water dehydration is one of the top 5 ways people die in these woods, heat stroke is dangerous for a lot of reasons but the disorientation it causes has led many people to wonder of never to be seen alive again. Strong wind has caused many people, children especially, to fall off cliff faces, brought down trees/large branches right on top of people and die. Flash floods can happen with little warning so if it’s raining keep a close watch on how much water is coming down and try to stick to high ground, do not attempt to cross and or enter any creeks rivers or streams, not only can they rise fast you can and will be swept away by the water. Mud slides are most common after/during heavy rains, avoiding being on any slopes, near ledges, cliff faces, or unstable ground.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Verboten 4 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary:   AU. When Danny was five years old, he went missing for 2 weeks. In the years that follow, his family tried to make sense of what happened, only for the truth to be discovered years later.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, language. Be prepared for some very weird things

Parings: Danny/Sam

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr. This fic is very heavily inspired by folklore surrounding mysterious wilderness disappearances

Chapter 4

Later that night, it was officially announced at dinner that the camper’s death was the result of an unfortunate accident. However, what shocked all the students was the decision to finish out the remaining time at the camp. According to Mr. Lancer, he had contacted the other teachers at the different sites, and that was the mutual decision.

Tucker had surprisingly spoken up and demanded how their teacher managed to get through since the cell phone service issue remained unresolved. After their meeting with the police officer, he had checked with other students, who all said the same thing. Their service was poor, and they hadn’t been able to contact anyone. For the technophile, it was extremely frustrating, and he had put a lot of effort in attempting to solve the problem on his own device. He told Danny and Sam that it almost seemed like there was a weird electrical phenomenon causing the problem.

Lancer stumbled for a moment, but he eventually said the Park Rangers had let him use their landline. He then changed the topic and began explaining what the activities for the next morning would be.

“Alright, now I’m really sure something’s fishy,” Tucker whispered to his friends. “Wanna bet he was never able to contact the other teachers?”

“I’ll pass, because I think you’re right,” Danny told him as he stole a glance at some of the nearby Rangers. They had been closely watching the students since the beginning of dinner. “I don’t think the Rangers agree with that decision.”

“Yeah, and did you notice? They’ve been stone faced during this whole thing.” Sam leaned forward as she continued. “I really think something more serious happened to that poor man.”

Danny nodded. “I don’t have the slightest idea what might have happened. You’d think they come right out and say if it was an animal attack. But, that’s fairly uncommon in our state. I mean, the most dangerous animal here is a black bear, but they aren’t very common.”

“It could have been a mountain lion attack. While they supposedly haven’t been in this state for decades, there are still regular reports of them. That’s something that might be kept quiet. I mean, that was an issue in Pennsylvania with their coyotes and the Game Commission.”

“That would make sense, but you’d think they’d still say something like it was an animal attack and chalk it up to him doing something stupid to upset a bear if that was the case,” Tucker mentioned as he fiddled with his PDA. “I still can’t get a good signal.”

“I guess we need to just remain on guard,” Danny mused as the other students began to stand. His friends agreed with him as stood and went to grab one of the paper schedules which held the next day’s events.

…

After Danny and Tucker headed back to their cabin after then had finished freshening up for the night at the communal showers, they were met with the jocks excitedly swapping information. Dash’s grin was almost cat-like as he caught sight of the pair. “So, I guess you dweebs didn’t hear about what actually happened to that camper.”

“Other than what we were told, no,” Danny told him as he went to grab something out of his bag. “And don’t you have anything better to do than spread nasty rumors about the dead?”

Dash’s grin immediately grew larger as he continued, “It’s not a rumor. One of the band geeks was up for an early piss and saw them bring the body into camp. That guy was in pieces.”

“Wha… what!? What did you say?” Tucker stammered as he dropped his PDA.

“Are you absolutely certain that’s what he saw?” Danny demanded as he stepped in between Tucker and Dash. “The camper could have been really messed up, but if he was covered in blood, dirt, and whatever else he encountered, maybe it looked worse than it really was.”

“As much as it annoys me to admit, Fenton makes a good point,” Dash’s other friend, Lucas, mentioned as he sat on his bed. “Without seeing it for ourselves, we don’t know how bad it was, and the kid was pretty scared when he repeated it. So, let me ask you this Fenton, what do you think happened?”

“I’m surprised you care about whatever I think. But,” Danny paused for a moment, “all I know for certain is that something bad happened, and the police and rangers aren’t happy about it. But, I’m not a cop, and I’m clearly not trained in stuff like this, so my hunches are probably wrong.”

“That’s not much of an answer.”

“Unlike some people, I’m not going to jump to conclusions before I know more.” Satisfied with the stunned looks of the jocks, Danny turned to finish preparing for bed. After a moment, he realized Tucker was staring at him. “What?”

“So, where’s this Danny Fenton been all these years?” his friend whispered at him.

Danny raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve never stood up your… you know… bullies before. What changed?”

“Nothing changed, not really,” Danny replied as he climbed into bed. “It’s just I can’t tolerate people spreading rumors like this. It brings bad luck, or at least I think so, and,” he paused for a moment before lowering his voice, “you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

“Did your parents drill that into you or something?”

“Not my parents, but I can’t remember who did.”

……

The next day, the students were kept close to camp. Most of the day was spent learning basic camping skills. Although there were plenty of grumbles from his classmates, Danny found it pretty interesting as his parents wanted to keep him as far away from the woods as possible. He spent most of the morning in a boyish wonder as was instructed on setting up tents, campfires, and basic traps.

Sam spent a good portion of the morning teasing him, but he largely ignored her. Like a lot of boys, he had an interest in camping when he was younger, so this was a chance to experience it, or at least a small portion of it. However, by the time lunch hit, his enthusiasm had been replaced by uneasiness.

In the shadows cast by the trees around the camp, he felt as if someone was watching him. It was possible it was just an animal, but as the hours passed and the feeling continued, he determined that couldn’t be the cause. Most animals didn’t spend that long watching people, unless they were hunting, but most predators wouldn’t dream of getting so close to so many people. Both Sam and Tucker seemed apprehensive as well.

“Hey, did either of you heard those weird bird calls earlier?” Sam asked while they were eating dinner.

“I don’t know how you had time to listen to birds with how much manual labor we did earlier. I’m exhausted,” Tucker whined in between bites of his food.

“We barely did anything too strenuous. You really need to get out more.” The amused smirk on Sam’s face was quickly replaced by a frown. “But, in all seriousness, something sounded wrong. I’m pretty familiar with the birds around here, but I’ve never heard something like that before.”

“Is it possible it was an exotic bird?” Danny questioned. “I mean, it is possible one escaped or someone let one go.”

Sam considered his words for a moment. “While it’s possible, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain.” She brought her hand to her chin as she tried to put her thoughts to words. “The sound didn’t sound natural. It was almost mechanical.”

“A mechanical bird? Come on, Sam! Even for you, that’s pretty out there. Am I right, dude?” Tucker playfully nudged Danny, only to realize he seemed deep in thought. “Hey, what’s wrong? Earth to Danny.”

“Gah!” The sudden motion of Tucker waving his hand in front of his face startled him. “Sorry about that. It’s just that… I… I think I know what she means”

“Huh?”

“I don’t remember much about what happened when I went missing, but before things go hazy, I definitely remember a strange bird call. After doing some research, my parents said that calls like that are sometimes heard before unusual missing persons cases.”

“Dude! Don’t say stuff like that! I’m already freaked out enough as it is by this whole mess. Ouch! Did you really have to kick me?”

“Keep your voice down,” Sam warned him as she motioned to the side with a head nod. Danny followed the motion and noticed some of the Rangers seemed to be watching them. “I really don’t want them to pay attention to us. They’re watching us, all of us, like we’re prisoners or something. Anyways, Danny do you know anything more about that weird call?”

“My parents said it might be a type of lure, but I have no idea if that’s true or not. But, I think it was to catch my attention than anything else.” Danny shook his head. “Sam, we wouldn’t be doing this. Whatever that call was, it could have just been some weird bird.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. Look, I’ve been uneasy since we first arrived in this forest. I already told Tucker this, but talking about weird stuff like this brings bad luck. Can we put it on hold until we get out of here?”

“But Danny!” Her argument was cut short as he glared at her. She straightened up as her eyes narrowed. “As weird as everything is, I think the bigger mystery is what exactly happened to you when you went missing when you were a kid.”

“Look, I don’t know what happened,” Danny snapped. What was her problem?

“Clearly something did. What’s every going on here might be digging up some of those memories. Maybe you have a memory that could help, but you’re getting so defensive.”

“Of course I am! Would you like it if someone kept trying to make you remember something that’s probably better left forgotten?”

“Alright, alright. Chill already.”

His only response was to huff and turn away. Her stubbornness was something he both admired and occasionally hated. Whether it was petitioning her teachers to get a menu changed, rallying a protest, or badgering her friends for information, she often wouldn’t stop until she got her way. It was a big reason why he didn’t think they’d ever be able to get together.

They had discussed it the previous year, after Tucker outed their mutual attraction. Neither of them thought it would work out. Sam was too headstrong, and Danny was too reserved for it to be a functioning relationship. There was always a spark of hope, but it was situations like this that reminded him that they hadn’t changed. For the sake of their friendship, it wasn’t something they could safely consider.

Maybe when they got a little older, a little more mature, they would be able to act on their feelings, but that would have to wait. For now, he was just going to sit in an annoyed silence as he finished his… what exact was this food supposed to be anyways?

…..

Sam actually apologized to him the next day. However, he was still too irritated to speak to her, but by the time lunch rolled around, he had forgiven her.

The morning had been spent working on more wilderness survival skills, but the Rangers surprised them by announcing that they would be leading them on a hike on the trail that surrounded the camp. It was only supposed to last a couple hours at most, but three armed Rangers would be walking with them.

Annoyed and uneasy murmurs circled through the students as they formed groups of three and four. Those groups were then lined up; one Ranger moved to the front, one went to the back, and the other moved to the center of the line. Before they began to move, the Rangers warned the entire group that, under no circumstance, was anyone to go off on their own.

Although Sam and Tucker wanted to stay away from Lancer and the jocks who were near the front of the line, Danny would not allow them to be in the very back. After everything else that happened, he would not allow himself to be in the back on the line. The warning to stay away from the very back or front still rang in his ears. Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long.

As they began their trek, several of the groups fell to the back of the line. It forced Danny and his friends to have somewhat of a distance between the few band and more nerdy students who were following close to the first Ranger and Mr. Lancer, and the popular kids and jocks who were near the back. The Ranger who was supposed to be in the middle had hung back to help keep an eye on the larger portion of students.

“I don’t like this,” Danny mentioned as Sam had them stop for a moment as she made a quick sketch of a plant off the path. “Is it just me, or is it really quiet?” He had noticed it for a while. Usually a person should be able to hear bugs, birds, leaves rustling, something, but he hadn’t noticed any noise for a while.

“These are older forests, Danny,” Sam explained as she finished her sketch. “Noises often get muffled since plants can absorb sound to some extent.”

“It doesn’t mean it’s not creepy.”

“Actually, Sam, I agree with him,” Tucker mentioned as he looked over his shoulder. “I feel like we’re being watched.”

Sam tucked her sketch book in her bag before pointing to something behind them. “I think you’re right on that, but I don’t think it’s anything out of the ordinary.”

Danny and Tucker turned to see Dash and his friends, as well as some of the popular girls approach them from down the trail. Apparently, they had been spotted as Dash wore an evil grin as he said something to Kwan as he gestured towards them. A round of laughter followed.

“Great, just our luck. Do you think we’d be able to outrun them?” Danny asked as he warily eyed the approaching group.

“Are you nuts, dude? We can’t even outrun Sam.”

“Thanks for that lovely vote of confidence, Tucker.” ==================

Notes:

The coyotes and the Game Commission was an actual thing that happened. Basically, there weren’t supposed to be any coyotes in Pennsylvania, but there were farmers saying their animals were being attacked by something. One of the farmers, who lived nearby where I grew up, got permission to take a shot at creatures and ended up killing a coyote with a Game Commission tag in its ear. Twenty years later, the Game Commission has finally admitted coyotes are back in Pennsylvania, and that they can be hunted. Coyotes can attack people. While there aren’t many documented attacks, they have happened, and Pennsylvanians aren’t very happy about them popping up in towns and parks.

Mountains Lions, also known as Nittany Lions, Pumas and Cougars, are supposedly extinct in the states east of the Mississippi River (ignore Florida – it’s an exception). However, that’s another thing under debate. There have been many sightings of them throughout the years in the east, especially in the Appalachian (app-ah-lay-shin) Mountains. There is actually a picture of one found in Ohio near its border with Kentucky that was taken in 2014. I know there are recent reports in Pennsylvania and New York as well - this includes family members.

[raibebe]

Red as blood

Genre: Horror Words: 2.731 Prompt: Redcap Kihyun, “You shouldn’t be here”, Will-o’-the-wisp For anon A/N: Thank you for all your kind words and your enthusiasm about all this 🖤 Special thanks to @kihyunsbabe for beta reading this again and for giving me tips on how to write spooky stuff Also I’m way too invested in Redcap Kihyun and how this could continue, so let me know if anyone else is... Warnings: blood, mentions of killing and death

Redcap: They are known to be bloodlust goblin like creatures that can run really fast, have minor magic and gain their powers from dipping their red caps into the blood of their victims (some even say, they die when the blood on their caps dries). In other folklores they are the spirits of those who have been killed in the battles in the woods between England and Scotland. I decided to adapt them a little.

Taking a walk in the woods to calm your mind a little had seemed like a good idea at noon. Leaving the path to follow a little squirrel deeper into the woods also had seemed like a good idea in the afternoon. But getting lost in said woods wasn’t a good thing when the sun began to set. Its rays barely made it through the leaves of the trees above you, littering the ground in moving shadows when the wind blew through them. You had been in this forest countless of times. Yet you never had been this lost. It seemed like you were going in circles even though you used all your knowledge to make sure you kept going north to where your hometown should be.

You tied your jacket tighter around your body. Without the sun’s warmth the little autumn breeze made a shiver run down your back. In the quiet of the forest it almost sounded as if someone was whispering sweet nothings in a language you didn’t understand. Taking a deep breath and listening to the sounds around you, it did indeed sound like whispering. Turning to see where the voice was coming from, you saw a little light moving in the distance. Was there someone else lost? Or maybe they knew their way out.

When the light seemed to die down, you hastily moved towards the light source. But every time you seemed to come closer to the light, it dimmed down and flickered back to live a couple of metres in front of you. Cursing you picked up your speed and ran towards the light when it stilled between two large tree trunks. Just when you reached the trees making an opening onto a small clearing, your feet were ripped from below you, making you topple to the ground with a loud scream. Struggling to get to your feet again, you found your feet and legs bound, numbness spreading through your body, so even moving your lips to form a shout for help was costing way too much energy. The only thing that didn’t seem affected was your heat, which was beating so furiously that it might jump out from your chest.

“You should not be here,” you suddenly heard a voice saying, naked feet moving into your field of vision. Your heart was beating even faster now. The words sounded weirdly foreign to you even though the voice had spoken in your mother tongue. Muttering under their breath, the person freed your tangled feet from the trap, the edge of a cold knife pressed into your skin before it tore through the ropes.

When you turned around to face your saviour, your breath got stuck in your throat. The man who had saved you had bright, wet looking red hair and was watching you with the gaze a predator would watch their pray through almost fox like red eyes. A shiver ran down your back and you felt goosebumps along you skin. In his hand he held a jarred blade which was stained with dark red spots, his long fingers with black claw like nails curled tight around the handle. Apparently amused by the terrified look in your eyes, his lips spread into a crooked grin, exposing a row of sharp teeth.

“Are you scared, girl?” He asked, crouching down next to you and raking his hand through his hair which had fallen into his eyes. To your surprise his hand was tinted the same red colour when he did so and a metallic smell spread through the air. Grinning even wider when you tried to scoot backwards, he let his tongue dart out between his dark, chapped lips and licked at his palm before wiping it on his ripped and torn pants.

“Is... Is that blood?” You stuttered, still panting heavily. “What if it was?” He answered, crawling closer to you, the metallic smell becoming stronger. With inhuman speed he clasped his clawed hand over your mouth before the scream of terror that had formed in your chest could leave your lips. “You would not want to scream in a situation like this. Who knows what murderous creatures might hear you,” he said while slowly retreating his hand, his sharp eyes studying your every move. “Murderous creatures like you?” You dared to ask which made something close to a laugh slip the lips of the man. It sounded so wrong as if he wasn’t supposed to laugh, as if his vocal cords didn’t know how to form the sound.

“You flatter me, girl.” “What are you?” You had never heard of or seen a creature like him. Your grandma used to tell you all kinds of stories of witches, banshees, werewolves or dwarfs but he didn’t seem to fit into any of the categories even though now that he was close to you, he seemed rather small. “Your kind has different names for us. But the one closest to what we are called in our mother tongue would be Redcap.” You gasped and scooted back from him until your back hit the trunk of a tree, the pain almost went unnoticed with the amount of adrenaline coursing through your body, stuck in a place between fight and flight. Showing his canines in a grin, he chuckled dark and deep in his chest. “So you have heard of us?” “I... You... You don’t look like what I had imagined them,” you stuttered, looking up at him with terrified eyes. He chuckled again and slowly walked towards you again. “I have just replenished my strength, human. I am not allowed to kill again this soon,” he stated and secured his blade on his hip. Not that he would need it to harm you. From what you knew about Redcaps they were gifted with inhuman strength and speed and were able to do minor magic.

Slowly rising to your feet, you tapped off the leaves stuck to you. When you looked up, a yelp escaped your lips. The Redcap had moved way closer to you than you had thought and stared at you with his bright red eyes.   “Someone is scared really easily for being as deep in the forest as they are,” he grinned. “I... I didn’t mean to end up here. I got lost and-“ “And then you thought following a Will-o’-the-wisp into a trap was a good idea to get out of here?” “I didn’t think it was a Will-o’-the-wisp,” you whispered embarrassed of yourself. “Well, get out of here, human. There are many more murderous creatures near the heart of the forest,” the Redcap said, turning his back to you.

“I don’t know where I am, how am I supposed to just get out of here?” You blurted out, grabbing his wrist. Before you could even recognize what was happening, the Redcap had twirled around and pressed you against a tree, one of his clawed hands tight around your neck. His teeth were bared and an inhuman hissing sound left his throat. Your senses were filled with the putrid smell of blood radiating off of him, but beneath that laid a deep earthy smell like he was the forest himself.

“Careful, human. I might just disrespect my master’s wishes and slowly tear you apart piece by piece, bathing in the sound of your screams and your pleas to make me stop until I wrap my hands around your pretty throat and squeeze until I hold your soul in my hands,” he hissed through bared teeth, dangerously close to the skin of your throat, his hot breath causing you to shiver. You knew that he was talking about killing you but somehow his voice and the proximity made it sound like something way more sensual and you couldn’t help yourself, leaning your head back and baring your throat for him. You felt his breath hitch, his eyes going wide as he looked up at you as if he couldn’t believe that you were willingly exposing yourself like this, putting your life in his hands.

He retreated from you, shaking his head in disbelief, making a couple of red droplets fall from his hair and chuckling quietly. “Have you lost your mind, human?” You shook your head, not able to speak; afraid your voice might break and give away how much the Redcap was affecting you. “Follow me, girl,” he spoke slowly, his eyes staying fixated on you when he made his way to the edge of the small clearing. “Where are you taking me?” You asked, following him on shaky legs. “Out of these woods, you do not belong here, human. The creatures of the night will be waking soon and they will not hesitate to do everything to you, they want to do to your body and your soul.” Dark images of Unseelies and other creatures doing unspeakable things blew up your mind and you couldn’t hold the whimper that escaped your lips. Walking close to the Redcap, you couldn’t stop looking into the shadows that suddenly seemed so much darker now that you had left the clearing.

Noticing your change in behaviour, the Redcap snorted. “You are not afraid of me but of the mere stories you know of the creatures coming out at night?” “I... I don’t know how much of those stories of the Unseelies and their powers is true,” you whispered, your voice trembling with fear. “Humans tend to exaggerate. And you have already met an Unseelie that did not meet the image you had of them, girl.” His try to reassure you did nothing but only to place another fear inside you: Of course he was part of the dark creatures calling themselves Unseelie. It took him a couple of steps to realize that you had stopped dead in your tracks, noticing your mistake in easily trusting him. He turned around and raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

“You just bound me to you by doing me a favour,” you breathed out. The Redcaps eyes widened at your statement, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a sly grin. “You are not as naïve, as I thought you were, human. But Redcaps are not like the dark fairies, lulling you in and then showing their true colours. We are simple creatures. No need to hide our true nature and our intentions. But I might have been in their company far too long,” he chuckled again, stretching his clawed hand out to you. “You do not owe me anything, girl. It brought me enough joy that the one, who set up the trap you ran into, will find it empty, just your sweet scent lingering, knowing that I found you before it did.” For some heartbeats you just looked at each other. Your human eyes finding his piercing red gaze. It might have been his magic or just your sheer fascination with him, but you took the hand he held out for you to grab. The last thing you saw before the world around you went blurry was the bright colour of his hair.

The next thing you realized were the stars above you, shining in all their glory. “I thought it would be faster like this,” the Redcap’s voice tore through the silence, not bothering to explain further how he had managed to bring you back to the road in front of the woods that would lead you back home. He stood next to you, his breath coming out in little huffs of air like he had just run a race. When you stayed silent and just stared at his chest moving with his breaths, he bowed before you mockingly. “What a pleasure it has been to be of your service, mortal,” he said just as mockingly, walking slowly backwards into the shadows of the trees.

“Wait, do you have a name?” You asked him when he turned his back to you and took a step into the woods again. “Why would you want to know my name, human?” The Redcap asked, turning his head over his shoulder, his gaze sharp and piercing, eyes glowing unnaturally in the dark. “You cannot banish or bind Redcaps with the use of their name.” Taken aback by the venom in his voice, you stayed silent and just looked at him with big eyes, none of that had been your intention. But you should have known that the magic folk always was a bit special about their names. “When I was born into this world, I was not given a name your tongue could possibly pronounce,” he said, tuning his body around to face you again. “But my first human master gave me a name when he bound me to him.” Looking at you with knitted brows through the too long hair of his fringe, he cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to figure out if he could trust you with his name.

“You will not see me again, mortal. What use has my name for you?” “I can call you something else than Redcap in my memories,” you said, a sting in your chest at his harsh words. Of course it would only be rational to never see him again. He had only let you live because his master had not allowed him to kill again so soon and he was violent and murderous by nature. But he also was a fascinating creature and even seemed so much more human despite the way he looked and talked. A toothy grin spread across his features and with his inhuman speed he was standing in front of you in a mere heartbeat, the smell of blood and earth filling your senses again. “Your human hearts are so weak, it is truly fascinating,” he whispered, dragging one of his long nails across your cheek, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to make your whole body shiver. “You wish to see me again.” It didn’t sound like a question. “Even though you know what I am. And even though you know of the magic I hold and how I keep my strength.” You just nodded, mesmerized by the way his pupils were blown wide, the black taking over the vibrant red and reflecting the stars above. “You would not like to see me when I have not just replenished my powers,” he stated and took a step back. “I could end your life within a blink of your eye.” “But you didn’t,” you breathed and closed the distance again, well aware that you were playing with your life.

Grinning he squared his shoulders and straightened himself to his full height. “Do you have the wish to die young, girl?” You shook your head. “What is it that draws you to me then?” “The wish to escape.” A laugh escaped his lips, dark and foreign sounding. “Where would I take you, human? You would not last a day in my world.” “I didn’t ask for forever. Just take me away for some time,” you begged the Redcap, grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt which must have been white at some point. “You are out of your mind,” he said but there was no real pressure behind the words, sounding more confused than anything. “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” you whispered. “Me neither, girl.” He gently took your chin between his fingers, careful not to scratch your skin, dark eyes scanning your face curiously. “You may call me Kihyun, human. Do not use my name unwisely, as I can feel the pull if you do use it,” he whispered and dragged his sharp nail over your bottom lip, drawing blood this time. You flinched but his grip on you was too strong, so you couldn’t move back. Chuckling at your reaction he let his tongue dart out and lick up the few drops of blood he drew. It wasn’t quite a kiss but it somehow felt like one.

“Now, do not start calling my name in your sleep, or I might just appear,” Kihyun breathed and before you could respond, he was gone. You thought you could see his bright hair flashing between the trees but it might just have been wishful thinking.

“Kihyun,” you tried rolling his name on your tongue and you could swear the wind carried the sound of his chuckle.