#hyrum/goldenrod

[clickerflight]

Look I am DEEPLY obsessed with this outfit even if Hyrum was not a fan. Thank you so so much percy for this doodle! It means the world to me, TBH

Clove Part 26 Fanart @clickerflight

[myhusbandsasemni]

Happy STS, Clicker!

Tell me about one to three of your favorite names — be it of a person, a place, a chapter, a whole work. How did you pick them, and what do you love about them?

Bonus: Is there any placeholder name that stuck and made it into a finished thing?

Let's see.

I'm just going to draw from all of my active stories. Including my stories for my other blog.

1: Hyrum - It's a very cute name, fun to say, and had some religious significance to me, though Hyrum is not anything like the name sake. I love calling him Goldenrod more, though, through Ephraim.

2: Aaron - I've always liked this name and it was a name that belonged to a main character of one of the first shows I ever watched by myself for the sake of watching a show when I was first actively on the internet around the age of 15-16.

3: Anisha - This is tenically from a thought project. I heard this name when I was little and I've always thought it a very pretty name, plus it's similar to my IRL name so I thought it would be fun to name my self insert that in that thought project.

As for the last question, I'm not sure. I haven't actually finished writing anything yet (I keep getting distracted) so I can't answer that.

Thanks for the ask!

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 29 - Hungry

Author's note: Not me getting distracted by any passing plot point that flirts with me. Also, updates might slow down a bit for the next month maybe? I'm busy with a lot of things. Feel free to send asks to fill the voids.

Masterlist - Part 28

Content: Vampire whumpee, hunger, blood drinking, emotional whump, angst

..........................................

Hyrum loved every day that he woke up safe with Ephraim. Well, safe might not be the word here, but he was comfortable and Ephraim was there. His ribs were healing well, they had new friends, and they would be home soon. It would all be fine. 

He laid there for a long time, soaking in the moment and feeling Ephraim’s shallow breaths, once every few minutes, blowing across his face. 

Hyrum only stirred when he heard movement and Kortops came from one of the deeper rooms, clearing his throat a little and looking uncomfortable. Hyrum didn’t really know why and hoped it wasn’t anything dangerous. 

“I need to go work on our plans,” Kortops told Hyrum. “Would you wake the vampire, boy?”

Hyrum nodded and reached out to shake Ephraim. “Morning!” he chirped. He paused, waiting for the vampire to stir like he normally would, but he barely twitched. “Ephraim?” 

Hyrum touched Ephraim’s pale face, paler than normal, now that he thought about it, and it was freezing despite sleeping under a blanket with Hyrum, who had been assured he was quite warm. 

“Eef?”

That got the vampire to stir and Hyrum’s anxiety ebbed slightly, only to come back full force when Ephraim opened blurred eyes, mouth opening as he warbled out a confused sound. His tongue and cheeks were swollen and cracked in places and Hyrum gasped, leaning in to see better. 

“You’re sick!”

His worry stirred Ephraim further and he groaned, shutting his mouth. He coughed and shook his head slowly. “I am fine, Goldenrod.”

“No you’re not!”

“I’m just… I’m just hungry, I’ll be fine.”

“Hungry?” Kortop asked from where he was watching. “When did you last drink blood?”

“Mmm…. the night before Jack took Hyrum?”

Hyrum frowned. He’d never seen Ephraim go that long without his daily cup of blood. “That’s okay. You should eat. Do you have animal blood, Kortops?”

Kortops shook his head, baffled. “No. No animal blood that would be safe or healthy for him, I think. And fae blood is poisonous. I will fetch one of my human servants and you can-”

“No,” Ephraim said firmly, gritting his teeth. “No…. I can wait.”

“Ephraim,” Hyrum whined. “You need to eat. I had to eat so you have to eat too.”

“I will… just not…. Human. Never again.”

Kortops stared at the two of them like they were one of those jigsaw puzzles Ephraim sometimes liked to do. “Right….. But you have to eat. And we cannot go to the human realm to find any animal blood.”

“I can wait,” Ephraim hissed. 

Halia had woken up at this point and came out in her night shift to see what the fuss was about. “What’s wrong?”

“The vampire needs to eat,” Kortops said, turning to her. “But we have no animal blood and he refuses human blood.”

“Oh, but sweetheart, you must be of clear mind while you’re in the courts. You will be destroyed if you are not.”

Ephraim pushed himself up, swaying slightly. “I am fine!” he hissed, baring his fangs. “Leave me be.”

Hyrum ignored the order, pushing closer. “Why can’t you eat, Ephraim? Why not human blood?”

Ephraim turned his head and shuddered. “I promised I would not…. Not after…. Now is not the time for such things. We don’t have time for this.”

Halia and Kortops shared a helpless look and Hyrum felt his stomach sink slowly in realization. 

He reached out, putting one hand on Ephraim’s left arm and held his other one up. “Then this. You can have mine.”

Ephraim flinched back violently, pushing Hyrum off of him as he pressed himself into the couch. His eyes were weird, a bright red that Hyrum had never seen before, the pupils so tiny that almost vanished in his eyes. 

Ephraim made terrified choking noises, shaking his head, but Hyrum was not dissuaded, pushing back into Ephraim’s space. “You need to eat! I am safe, and I am not human. Eat!” He shoved his arm back in Ephraim’s face and the shuddering vampire turned his head, eyes squeezed shut even as slobber began to escape from the corners of his mouth. 

“Hyrum, please,” he whimpered, reaching up to cover his mouth. 

Hyrum knelt up and put a hand on Ephraim’s shoulder to give him leverage as he tried to pry Ephraim’s hand away. “You need to eat!” Hyrum replied fiercely. 

He stopped when he felt something warm and wet meet his knuckle where it was pressed to Ephraim’s cheek. 

Ephraim was crying. 

Startled, Hyrum sat back and Kortops murmured something about leaving them to discuss something before he shepherded Halia out to the hall. 

There was silence for a long time, Ephraim’s shoulders shaking a little as he regained control of himself. 

He pulled his shirt up to wipe his face, and when his eyes met Hyrum’s, they were still tinted red but they were more like Ephraim’s eyes now. 

“I can’t,” Ephraim whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too. That’s why I offered,” Hyrum replied, looking down at his crooked fingers. 

Another long silence followed. Ephraim was breathing quickly, shuddering. He groaned again and slid down on his side, curled around his stomach. 

Hyrum approached cautiously, laying down facing Ephraim. 

Ephraim opened his eyes and huffed. “I’m sorry, bud. This…. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“‘S okay….”

Hyrum didn’t know how long they laid like that on Halia’s couch, but eventually, Ephraim huffed out a breath. “I’m not going to… be able to get you or…. Or Benny out of this if I don’t eat. But there has to be….. Another way.”

“Yeah. Does it… does it hurt to be bitten?”

“By a vampire? No, it shouldn’t hurt.”

“Then why won’t you eat?”

“Because you’re my pup. I can’t eat from you.”

“But I offered. And I’m not even human so you won’t break any promises…. Who did you promise anyways?”

Ephraim’s gaze grew more distant. “Erika. I think. It’s been so long. Back when I was a gladiator.”

“Would she be mad if you died?”

Ephraim’s gaze focused back on Hyrum. “She would be furious.”

“Then you should eat and get us out of here alive. I’m not really smart enough yet to do it by myself.”

Ephraim closed his eyes again, thinking, and Hyrum recognized that now was not the time to interrupt him. He was making an Important Decision. 

His next breath was even more shaky than the previous ones. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, opening his watery eyes.

Hyrum nodded. “I’m sure. You fed me a lot, I guess I always expected I would have to feed you at some point in return.”

Hurt and sadness flooded Ephraim’s eyes and Hyrum realized he’d said something very wrong. “No, I mean, um. I wanted to pay you back? It’s okay, Eef, I promise, okay?”

“Okay,” Ephraim breathed, but he didn’t make any move to eat. 

Hyrum scooted closer, giving Ephraim his arm. The vampire stared at him with a look he didn’t give often. One that really got across exactly how old Ephraim was. Aching and tired. 

He took Hyrum’s wrist and the werewolf wiggled until he was in a good position. Ephraim stared despondently at Hyrum’s marred skin and insecurities about what Shallumn said writhed on Hyrum’s tongue, but he held it back. Ephraim was weak and tired. He couldn’t tell Ephraim those thoughts because it would distract him, and then Ephraim would waste time and energy telling Hyrum that Shallumn was so very wrong and that he loved him over and over again. 

Hyrum tried his hardest not to flinch when Ephraim’s nose brushed over his inner elbow. He tilted his head so his damaged fang wouldn’t cause unnecessary tearing and bit down. There was a sharp pain that made Hyrum yelp, but it was soothed immediately by something warm and comforting spreading from the bite. 

If Hyrum wasn’t so well rested, he would have dropped off to sleep, but he just felt drowsy as Eprhaim carefully widened the wound and lapped up the werewolf’s blood gently and carefully so as to avoid spilling a single drop, eyes distant and dripping with tears. 

“‘S alright,” Hyrum whispered. 

Ephraim made an involuntary noise in response, but he focused on eating, and soon enough he gave one last lick and backed off, tearing a piece of his shirt off to press to the wound, waiting as the blood stopped. He slowly tied a new strip of fabric around Hyrum’s elbow before reaching out and gently stroking his pup’s golden hair. 

“Better?” Hyrum asked, still floating on the effects of the venom and Ephraim nodded, though tears flowed down his face faster. 

“Better. You’re my brave boy, you know that? You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know…. I wanted to.”

Ephraim closed his eyes and nodded slightly. 

By the time the blood was really spreading in his body, Hyrum was waking up again, sitting up and prodding at his elbow. 

“Don’t do that,” Ephraim said, sitting up with ease this time, ruffling Hyrum’s hair. “Come on. We should get back to our rooms.”

“Okay.”

Part 30

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff 

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer 

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps @hellodecisionparalysis

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Clove: Part 23 - Up a Creek

Benny comfort! Well, as much as I can feasibly give at the moment.

Masterlist - Part 22

Content: Vampire whumpee, fae whumper, abusive marriage, bruising and scratches, brainwashed whumpee, whumpee defending abuser, fae politics

...................................

“Jokel is dead!”

The breakfast suddenly came to a halt, the fae falling silent as they looked to the messenger at the doorway. 

Hyrum used the distraction to press himself under Ephraim’s arm, hiding from the fae that had been trying to touch his hair and fur since breakfast began. He’d tried to do the exact thing earlier but the comments of being a rude Guest for hiding had forced him back out, flinching at every move from the strange people around him. 

Ephraim held Hyrum close as all of the fae turned their gaze on the Monarch, who seemed rather surprised by the news. 

“Dead? How?”

“There was dark magic in the wounds, you’re Majesty, and he was near to the ritual places. I suspect that the sorcerer may have done it.”

The Queen’s sharp gaze turned to Ephraim and Hyrum. “Do you know of this?”

Ephraim shook his head. He looked down at Hyrum who shook his head as well. “We were not there for it, your Highness,” Ephraim said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice as Hyrum buried his face deeper into Ephraim’s shirt. 

The Queen pursed her lips before she broke out into a cruel grin, sharp teeth all on display. There were too many of them. No creature should have that many teeth. At least, no creature living on land. 

“Well, it seems we’ll be holding a funeral!” She announced to the table, eyes flitting over through the fae who all suddenly had expressions of jubilee and excitement. “I will have the list for our marching order this evening!” She announced, clapping her hands in glee. 

She shot a look at Benny, who hadn’t stopped looking at her through the entirety of breakfast, eyes cloudy and distant. 

“You will help me, my dear. And our dear father here will have to join the procession since he was the brave warrior who killed the sorcerer for us! Oh yes, this will be fun, won’t it?”

“Of course,” Benny said almost breathlessly, seemingly overcome by her excitement. 

Ephraim bit the inside of his mouth carefully. He had suspected that Benny was charmed, and it was becoming clearer by the moment that this was the truth. His fledgling was completely gone now, a blank doll in the face of the fae queen’s magic.

“Oh, please, your Highness!” a fae with petals for hair and wings called, hands over her heart in what looked like outright ecstasy. “Please can I be put next to our guests? I have been so helpful with the gardens, haven’t I?”

The Monarch’s gaze became disgusted and cruel as she looked at the flowery fae. 

“Halia, you are not to ask for such things,” she hissed out with so much venom that the petals on Halia’s head actually withered to black. 

She whimpered, sitting back down and covering her head with a napkin, looking down as silent sparkling tears brimmed in her eyes. 

The Monarch took a deep breath. “Finish breakfast, everyone. I will start ordering the list with my dear husband here. We will retrieve Jokel’s body an hour before sundown!”

Benny stood up quickly, pulling out his wife’s seat and helping her up before walking away without so much as a backwards glance at Ephraim and Hyrum. 

Ephraim watched, listening to the buzz of the fae around the room, no longer paying attention to the two of them. 

“Come on, sweetheart,” Ephraim murmured to Hyrum. “I think it’s okay for us to go back to our room.”

“I want to go home,” Hyrum whimpered as they stood up, thankfully drawing no attention their way as they did so. 

It broke Ephraim’s heart to see Hyrum’s tail tucked between his legs, shivering and trembling in Ephraim’s hold. 

“I know, Goldenrod. I do as well. And we will. We just have to be patient and smart.”

Hyrum sniffled, nodding a little as the two of them snuck off to their rooms. Ephraim just hoped they weren’t breaking any rules by leaving, but if they were the Queen’s guests and she left the breakfast, then surely they were safe to leave after she did. Ephraim hoped he would be able to speak to Benny soon about the rest of the Hospitality pact. And to see if there was anything left of his fledgling under the charm the Queen held over him. 

………………………………….

Benny was…. Tired. He limped down the hall, hours later, stomach grumbling unhappily at him. His wife had gone over the fae in her court, picking out the ones she wanted to have in the procession to retrieve Jokel’s body. She then made sure to line them up so everyone would be standing next to someone they hated, laughing gleefully over the drama that was sure to ensue over the next three days. 

And Benny was tired. He couldn’t even remember helping her with decisions. All he knew was that he stepped out of the room and exhaustion, hunger, and pain hit him like three carts lined up one after the other. His arm hurt now, too. He couldn’t even remember what had happened, only remembering his wife’s glee getting out of hand. Eyes shining and burning and promising pain that she would enjoy and-

He stumbled, a headache shooting through his head. 

He gasped for a moment, touching his forehead before pushing forward. He should see a healer. These headaches were coming all of the time now. 

He held his arm gently, watching his feet take their mistimed steps under him. 

He stopped at a door and as he looked at it blearily he realized it wasn’t his bedroom. Why was he here? Where- oh. He could smell his sire. His instincts had brought him here, looking for kindness and love and safety when he was so tired and hurt and emotional. 

He closed his eyes, shaking his head and turned to go to his room when the door opened. 

“Benny?”

Tears sprang to Benny’s eyes before he could stop them as he turned back. Ephraim looked tired too, but that didn’t stop him from coming out into the hall and cupping his cool hands on either side of Benny’s jaw, tilting his head down so Ephraim could see him better. 

“Benny, what’s wrong?” Ephraim asked gently. “Here, come in.”

Benny allowed himself to be led in and pushed into a couch. “I’ll make some tea,” Ephraim said. Tea. Ephraim always made tea when emotions needed to be soothed. Something about the place where Ephraim came from, Benny was pretty sure. Most of the people in the village would just tell you to rub dirt in it and it would be fine. He couldn’t remember… who exactly would say that though. 

Ephraim came back from putting the tea on and pulled Benny’s heavy jewelry off, gentle hands brushing over his skin as Ephraim checked for injuries. He always did that. 

“Eef,” Benny whispered, vision cloudy from tears suddenly welling up. 

“What is it, Begonia?” Ephraim asked. 

Benny opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. He was so muddled. Something must be wrong. He was so upset but he couldn’t place why. Maybe because his arm hurt?

Ephraim caught on to the way Benny was holding his arm and gently pulled down the sleeve. The open design of the shirt made it easy to do so. 

Ephraim saw the deep bruising and scratching around Benny’s elbow and nearly lost it. He only let his fangs flash for half a second before he bit it all back. 

“Begonia, what happened? Who did this?”

Benny blinked at Ephraim, uncomprehending and blank with exhaustion. Ephraim felt desperation rising in his stomach, threatening to swallow him whole as he sat on the couch, pulling Benny into his chest. The fledgling didn’t put up any fight, letting Ephraim move him where he pleased. 

Ephraim ran gentle hands over Benny's hair and neck, pressing kiss after kiss to his forehead. 

“Come on, my boy. Come on, dear. Come back to me. It’s alright, I’m here now. Come back to me baby boy.”

Benny tensed, raising a hand to twine it in Ephraim’s shirt in a way he hadn’t since he had just barely been turned. 

Ephraim sat there and rocked Benny gently back and forth, stroking his fledgling’s head and kissing his forehead and hair, murmuring comforts to him. 

It took a while for Benny to come back to his senses, confused to find himself held in Ephraim’s arms. 

He took in his situation for a moment before he smiled a little. “You’re not mad at me anymore, then, old man?”

Ephraim did not find this amusing. The swift switch in moods was very much not a good sign. 

“Welcome back,” Ephraim said, letting Benny sit up, though keeping a hold on his injured arm. “Tea should be ready. Tell me what happened.”

Ephraim stood up, releasing Benny reluctantly to go deal with the upset kettle as Benny tilted his head, confused. “Happened? Oh, yes, Jokel is dead. There will be a three day funeral where every fae will be trying to win favor with my wife and there will be all sorts of drama.” Benny waved his hand dismissively. “I was just helping my wife with deciding who will be in the procession. It’s important to let the fae know their ranks in the procession so they can see who they will need to pass in favor. The final rankings will be made at the last feast when things settle down again, but-”

“No, what happened to your arm.”

Benny looked down at said arm and clicked his tongue. “Oh, I must have scraped it.”

“You’re a vampire, Benny,” Ephraim said, unimpressed. 

“Well,” Benny said haltingly, “My wife is fae, you know? She can get a little excited sometimes. It happens, and she always apologizes and makes it up to me. It’s fine.”

“Was she what happened to your leg too?”

Oh yeah. His leg hurt too. “Um, well, maybe, but we were just having some fun and it got a little out of hand,” Benny said dismissively. “I’ll be fine after I eat, I’m sure.”

Ephraim brought him a cup of tea, which Benny accepted with a thank you. “So, how did I come to be here?”

Ephraim simply stared at Benny for a long moment. “We’re up a creek with no paddle, Begonia,” was his only comment before he downed his tea like he wished it were alcohol. 

Part 24

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff 

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer 

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 28 - Sleepover

Supppppp another soft one! Glad Ephraim has some new buddies to get them through this.

Masterlist - Part 27

Content: Werewolf whumpee, vampire whumpee, bruises, trapped feelings in general, nightmare/comfort

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“Do you have any guesses as to what she’ll want in return for Hyrum?” Ephraim asked a little nervously as they approached the door that Kortops had indicated belonged to Halia.

“I don’t, actually,” Kortops said, concern written on his forehead. “She doesn’t really get into things like this. She wants attention from the Queen, we all do, but I don’t actually know what she wants with your pup.”

They slowed and stopped in front of the door and stood quietly, uncertain of who should knock. Ephraim decided that since Hryum was his pup so he should knock, so he reached out and did so. There was silence and then the door opened.

The fae who answered had a comfortable looking evening dress on, a scarf twisted cleanly around her head and her petaled wings folded down across her back.

“Oh! Vampire, I’m so glad you’re here. Come in, come in,” she said, stepping back and disappearing into the room.

Ephraim and Kortops shared a bemused look as they stepped in. She came back to the entrance room from her sitting room, herding a puffy eyed Hyrum along.

“Here’s your pup, sir. He might be a bit bruised, but I was able to extricate him from Shallumn before the snake could hurt him permanently.”

Hyrum had spotted Ephraim and cried out with joy, hurrying across to where Ephraim met him, scooping his pup up into his arms. Ephraim pressed a relieved kiss to Hyrum’s head and pushed him out to arm’s length, searching for any visible injuries as Hyrum wrapped his arms over Ephraim’s.

Halia smiled softly at the sight, though her smile faded as she realized who exactly was with Ephraim.

“Hello, Consort Kortops,” she said, giving the higher ranked fae a bit of a bow.

Kortops nodded. “Hello, Halia. I am glad to see you protected the pup. Is there a price to pay?”

Halia shook her head. “No. Not at all. A favor I give freely with no expectation of payment. I am more than happy to just get to meet and speak with people from outside of the courts.”

Kortops looked a bit confused, sensing that she had some meaning beyond her words she was trying to convey, but Ephraim was able to see it. “Living in the fae courts isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I assume?” he asked and understanding dawned on Kortops’ face.

Halia looked a bit embarrassed as she nodded. “I have always wondered what the mortal realm is like, but I have not had the chance to go see it since I was a changeling. I know that things change much quicker out there than here in the courts.”

“You can’t just go?”

“No,” Halia said mournfully. “The fae can only go there when we are placing a changeling or taking a changeling back to the courts. And seeing as the Queen has banned attempts at placing changelings until the humans have forgotten about us more, no one has been allowed into the mortal realm.”

“Why would you want to go if not for a changeling?” Kortops asked, still a little baffled by the idea.

Halia shrugged a little. “A change of pace would be nice. I want to know how the humans live. The little that some of the pets have told me intrigues me, especially those from the bigger cities.”

Ephraim was startled when the small query of “Cities?” came from under his chin.

“They’re like Quite Brook, but bigger. Lots more people and jobs and bigger buildings,” Ephraim said, trying to remember his experience the last time he’d been in a city. Goodness, had it really been a century and a half since he’d been in a city? “Well, that’s what they used to be. They might be a bit different these days.”

Halia nodded. “They’re very different. The ‘more jobs’ comment is very accurate, though.”

“Wait, why can’t you just leave through the obelisks we came through?” Ephraim asked.

“They only really open from the outside,” Kortops explained. “The only way out is through the Monarch’s mirror. Which reminds me, I have more advice for your stay here. Perhaps we can go back to your rooms to discuss them.”

“Why don’t the three of you stay here? It sounds as though you will want to be unbothered and no one will expect you here,” Halia said, eyes lighting up a little at the idea of hosting them and possibly hearing more about the mortal world. “Please, make yourselves comfortable in my sitting room. I will go get refreshments!”

“I’m not certain that-”

She turned to face Kortops, boldly cutting him off as she said, “I want to help these two get home as well. I would like to go with them when they leave, in fact. Please stay.”

Kortops quieted and nodded. 

Once they were comfortable, Hyrum curled up into Ephraim’s side and snored softly as he resumed his nap. 

Kortops nodded to Halia in thanks and said, “Now, vampire. I have more advice. In all of the times you have spoken with the Monarch, have you gotten direct confirmation that you will be allowed to leave as soon as you have served your three days as a Guest?”

Ephraim’s heart sank as he realized what Kortops was getting at. “I haven’t…. I need to, don’t I.”

“Yes. If you don’t the Monarch will keep you here until you break a rule, and then you will become just as ensnared as your fledgling is. Understand?”

“I understand. Thank you for warning me,” Ephraim said, relieved. “Do you know when I’ll be able to gain an audience with the queen?”

Kortops’ composure crumpled and Halia covered her mouth, eyes wide as they seemed to realize something at the same time. 

“What?” Ephraim asked, tightening his arm around Hyrum, who huffed softly in his sleep as his bruises were pressed slightly. 

“The funeral. The funeral events will go on for 4 to 6 days,” Kortops said, swallowing hard to try and regain himself. “You won’t be able to gain an audience with the Queen till after the events are over.”

“And you won’t be considered a true Guest at that point,” Halia continued from behind her hand. “She will not owe you any promises. Oh, Consort Kortops, what are we meant to do? She will be busy from sunup to sundown every day until the funeral is over. I-”

“We will figure something out,” Kortops said quickly. “I will see what I can do to get her schedule for tomorrow. The preparations will only just be starting, so if we’re lucky, we’ll be able to find some time to speak with her. Vampire, you ought to stay in your rooms as much as you can. The preparations for the funeral often get dangerous as fae plot with and against one another, trying to sabotage and keep their rivals from rising above them or even making it to the funeral at all.”

Ephraim nodded, unbothered by the idea. He didn’t want to leave Hyrum at all for a while. His heart still fluttered everytime he remembered walking into their rooms and finding the boy missing. 

Kortops relaxed. “Thank you for trusting me. I know this must be difficult. We will get you all out of this. Halia, will you be able to help?”

Halia nodded. “I should be able to. I will try and keep the preparations going smoothly. If they go quickly enough the funeral might even happen sooner than normal. Maybe even before you stop being a Guest, Vampire.”

“And if I am not a Guest anymore?” Ephraim asked. He hoped that everything would go smoothly, but he didn’t trust that it would. Not in the fae realms. “What are the plans then?”

Kortops hesitated and that was all Ephraim needed to know. “Oh. We’d better make this work, then.”

Halia and Kortops nodded and anxiety clenched in his chest. 

They spent the next few hours talking, planning out specifics, talking about the mortal realm, discussing pet peeves and funny stories, and getting to know one another until they had well and truly missed the feast. 

Ephraim grew more and more tired, eyes drooping as he listened to Kortops and Halia get to know each other outside of their caste system until the world faded far away and all that was important was feeling the rise and fall of Hyrum’s ribs against Ephraim’s own. 

…………………………………

Ephraim snuffled awake, Hyrum writhing in his arms, whimpering. 

The vampire blinked in the darkness, neck a little stiff from where he’d fallen asleep sitting up, though someone had thrown a blanket over him and Hyrum. 

“Goldenrod,” Ephraim whispered, holding him closer and shaking him a little. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

Hyrum slowly stilled, shivering in Ephraim’s arms. After a long moment, he tremulously said, “I don’t like snakes.”

“I’m sorry, pup,” Ephraim replied, shifting on the couch so he could lay down properly, Hyrum wiggling up to tuck his soft head under Ephraim’s head. 

Ephraim rubbed his hand up and down on Hyrum’s back, eyes drifting close, sleep singing softly to him again. 

“Ephraim, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Ephraim asked sleepily. “For what?”

“For…. You have had to take care of me all the time. I’m not strong enough to help myself. I couldn’t escape the snake, I couldn’t get away from Jack, I couldn’t be a real werewolf. I-”

“Hold on, dear,” Ephraim said, opening his tired eyes, his sadness muted by exhaustion. “Those weren’t your fault. It takes time to heal, and you don’t need to be that strong. When you get home, you won’t ever be in danger like this again, okay?”

“But I should be stronger. I need to be stronger! What if the fae come to take Benjamin if we all make it home? What if there are werewolves trying to hurt you or a vampire comes after me? What if there’s a war-”

“Who told you about war?” Ephraim asked, concern waking him up a bit more now. 

“The other pups,” Hyrum replied sheepishly. “They said Vampires and Werewolves always fought.”

“Not always. I live in the same village as they do.”

“Well, yeah, but others do. I need to be stronger. You shouldn’t always have to protect me. I should be able to protect you too, sometimes.”

Ephraim wanted to tell him that he didn’t, that Ephraim would always take care of him, but he knew that would be foolish to say. He could hear how quickly Hyrum's heart pumped, how earnest he was. 

“Okay. That is a good goal, but try not to be too upset with yourself as you try, alright? You were starved for a very long time and that will affect your body for a while in turn.”

“I will. And I’ll make up for this…. I don’t like snakes or feeling helpless.”

Ephraim relaxed. “I understand that, pup. I cannot wait to be home. This place is so confusing, isn’t it?”

Hyrum nodded against Ephraim’s collar bone. “Yeah. It’s weird.”

Ephraim sighed. “Sleep, pup. We’ll be home soon enough.”

Ephraim was awake for a bit longer after Hyrum fell asleep, worries and anxiety to make things happen filling him to the brim. 

Well, almost to the brim. He was really beginning to get hungry. 

Part 29

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff 

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer 

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps @hellodecisionparalysis

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 22 - Good Host, Good Guest

So.... after that last part I realized this story is going to be longer than intended, but I still have a plan so we're all good. Also, here's benny living out our intrusive thoughts. Touch the puppy

Masterlist - Part 21

Content: vampire whumpee, fae whumpers, intimate whumper, brain washing, charming, hidden injury

............................................

Benny walked down the hall, limping a little as he went. He dearly loved his wife, but she could always be a bit rough when she was excited, and the wounds he received from her didn’t heal quickly. Maybe he should talk to her about it? Just ask her to be a little more gentle with him? A headache made Benny stumble, leaning on the wall till it passed. 

What was he thinking about? It probably didn’t matter. All that mattered was talking to Ephraim. He had been relieved to hear his sire had made it back in one piece yesterday and Benny was determined to get in Ephraim’s good books today. 

Benny skirted around a group of fae that had gathered in the hall in front of the guest room and passed through the door quietly. 

“Lucky,” one fae said, annoyed as he did so. “I want to look at the new pets.”

That meant Ephraim told everyone to stay out of the room. As fae they had to obey so as to not break the rules of hospitality, but Benny was under no such contract. 

He closed the door softly and looked around. There were remnants of dinner on the table, ragged clothing strewn about on the floor, and the door to the bedroom was cracked open. 

Benny pushed it open to see his sire asleep, one arm over a werewolf. 

“I’ll be,” Benny breathed, using a phrase from his days as a human, dropping his posh fae accent in awe. He had never even imagined a werewolf this adorable. The little guy was snuggled into Ephraim, the softest golden hair falling into his face, soft golden tail curled over his stomach. Living in the fae courts had taught Benny the worth of pets, and while Benny had at first been something special because of his good looks, charismatic nature, and double fangs, this wolf was something else entirely. 

“Ephraim is going to have a hard time keeping you,” Benny breathed, brushing a hand over the tail to see if it was as soft as it looked. 

It was. 

Ephraim’s hand on his throat was decidedly not. 

Benny scratched at Ephraim’s hand as the vampire pinned him to the wall, fangs bared as the werewolf woke, wide eyed and even more adorable than before. 

Ephraim seemed to register Benny and loosened his hold on Benny’s throat so he could speak. “What do you want?” Ephraim growled, and Benny’s heart broke at the accusatory tone in his sire’s voice. 

“Just here to wake you,” he said, his voice only slightly raspy as his new accent filtered back in. “I don’t remember you being so jumpy, old man.”

“And I remember you having manners,” Ephraim snarled. “Do not touch him.”

Benny nodded. “Understood.”

Ephraim released Benny, turning to check on the pup who was curled under the blankets, one wide golden eye peering out fearfully. 

Benny took the moment to adjust his clothing as Ephraim murmured to the child. 

The werewolf pup extricated himself slowly from the blankets, revealing himself to be dressed in overly large garments from the wardrobe. Benny made a mental note to find something suitable for the pup. He deserved clothing that did his hair and fur justice. 

“Benjamin, this is G-”

“Hyrum.”

Benny caught the look of surprise on Ephraim’s face. Hyrum stared at Benny with distrust and some small amount of fear. 

“Hyrum,” Ephraim echoed. “Hyrum, this is Benny.”

Benny bowed, making sure to use his most charming smile on Hyrum. “It is very good to meet you, sweetheart.”

“Hyrum.”

“Hyrum,” Benjamin echoed in return. “Now, we should find you both suitable outfits for breakfast. My wife is calling together the high members of the court to discuss what happened yesterday and to outline that you are both guests here, so-”

“No,” Ephraim replied, moving to put some of the fallen blankets back on the bed. “We’re going home.”

Benny frowned. His head hurt. “Home? But this is home.”

Ephraim shot Benny a truly dirty look and Benny recoiled. “O-Okay. But you really should come to breakfast first, Ephraim. The Monarch expects it.”

Ephraim didn’t heed the weight of Benny’s words as he continued to tidy up and gather some things from around the room. 

“Ephraim.”

“We are not going,” Ephraim said, refusing to look at Benny. 

Benny felt something in his stomach he hadn’t felt in a long time. Fear. 

You’ve felt fear. You just can’t remember. Last night-

A sudden spike of pain in his head left him without the developing thought. 

“Ephraim, you don’t understand. The Monarch expects it. You commanded the fae to stay out of the room, yes?”

Ephraim hesitated, sensing the power in Benny’s words this time. He turned and nodded silently. 

“It is a part of the pact that keeps you safe. The fae are good Hosts, so they honor your wishes,” Benny explained. “But to keep the pact intact and to remain protected as a guest, you must be a good Guest in return. Which means you get dressed and meet with the Monarch and eat breakfast with the court. It is customary for guests to stay for at least three days as well. There are other customs, but I can explain them after breakfast.”

“And after the three days?” Ephraim asked, eyes narrowing. 

“You can go ‘home’ if you still want to,” Benny replied with a little shrug. “Or find a place in the court.”

“And if we break the pact?” Ephraim asked warily. 

Benny pouted a little. Why did Ephraim mistrust him? Was he still mad about not getting a message from Benny? Who held a grudge past a few hours? He supposed the fae didn’t, but he couldn’t remember what was customary for humans and vampires and the like. “Well, you will be in their power, obviously. You will be a pet to one of the fae in the court.”

Ephraim’s already pale face paled farther, looking down at Hyrum, who grabbed onto his arm, staring at Benny with just as much fear. 

“But that’s okay,” Benny reassured them. “If you make it through the three days then you can just become a part of the court. That is nice, isn’t it?”

“Going home is better,” Hyrum replied. 

Home this, home that. They were really set, huh. Benny couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so set on something. 

“Okay, fine,” he said, trying not to sound too dismissive. “Come with me, then. We’ll see if there’s anything in my wardrobe that would work for you two.”

Ephraim still watched Benny suspiciously, but put an arm around Hyrum and nodded. 

They followed Benny out, the fae crowding around them with interest. 

“Are these the guests?”

“Oh they’re just darling!”

“Is that a pup? Look at his hair!”

“And his fur. Oh sweet child. If only he weren’t so scratched up. Come here, puppy, don’t you want someone to make you feel better?”

Ephraim bared his fangs at the speaker, but that only got more tittering. “Oh how precious!”

“He only has one fang! How unique! He reminds me of dear Benny here when he was new.”

“Oh, yes. I‘m glad he has a longer leash now. He’s always such a pleasure to see.”

“Benny, show us your teeth, come on dear.”

Benny smiled at the fae, double sets of fangs showing making some of the fae almost swoon.

Ephraim was careful to keep Hyrum close as the fae crowded in. When he spotted a sneaky hand trying to stroke Hyrum’s fur Ephraim snarled again. “Don’t touch him.”

The fae withdrew her hand, pouting and Benjamin quickly said, “I’m sorry, Keena. He’s just overwhelmed. Would you let us through?”

The fae all complained but backed up to let them through. Benny smiled and thanked them all before ushering Ephraim and Hyrum down the hall. 

“They don’t mean any harm.”

“I don’t care,” Ephraim replied, feeling Hyrum trembling against his side. This was all too much after the day they had before. 

Conversation quickly died after that as Benny opened a door for them, letting them into his bedroom. His wardrobe was strange and confusing and Ephraim didn’t like any of it, but he picked something he hated the least, and refused to wear the cape. 

“Come on,” Benny whined. “You should wear it! The fae love seeing us in capes.”

“Us?” Ephraim asked sharply. “Vampires? As far as I’ve seen, they tend to prefer us dead.”

That quieted Benny, and he didn’t say anything as he offered outfits for Hyrum to choose from. Hyrum chose one in the same muted colors Ephraim went for rather than the blacks or the bright colors Benny offered. Benny was somewhat disappointed, but didn’t say anything for fear of incurring Ephraim’s ire again as he led them out to the banquet hall. 

They were seated near to the head of the table, just in time for the Queen to arrive. She walked smoothly over the mirrored floors, antlered head held high. She smiled at Benny and came to stand at the head of the table. 

Benny practically melted when he saw his wife, smiling back. There was a twinge in his injured leg when he saw her, but he deliberately ignored it. 

Silence fell over the table as the Queen stood there. She looked over them all and nodded. “It is well,” she announced. “It is time to eat and welcome our new guests. May I have your names please?”

“You cannot have our names,” Ephraim replied, coolly but politely. “You are allowed to call us Ephraim and Hyrum.”

The Queen nodded. “These are our good Guests, just as we are good Hosts.”

Sharp eyes turned at that, hungry and almost feral. Ephraim had a bad feeling a challenge had been laid down. 

“Now, it is time to eat!”

Part 23

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 21 - No Monologues

Bois.... there's more to this story than I thought there would be. We vibing but this is wild!

Masterlist - Part 20

Content: Werewolf whumpee, human whumper, vampire caretaker, exhaustion, strangulation, a rather quick and violent death

......................................................

Goldenrod was really struggling to stay on top of the pillar now. He was tired and shaky, his fingers trembling on the ritual knife as he tried to dodge and shield himself from the barrage of gravel Jack kept sending his way, hoping to knock him down. He was so scared. He just had to hang on till Ephraim got here. He had to. He didn’t think he could fight Jack again. He shouldn’t have swallowed any of Jack’s blood earlier. It was making Hyrum feel really sick and making the whole situation that much worse. 

The newest rock attack slowed to a stop, Jack panting below, still pacing back and forth. He was chewing on his thumbnail, looking up at the skies nervously over and over again. The fae queen had to know by now. Was she going to come here or was she setting up defenses against him? He didn’t have time. He really didn’t have time.

He chewed harder, running out of nail and just started in on the flesh of his thumb with his sharp teeth as he stared up at Hyrum, who watched with a numb sort of exhaustion in his eyes. That was good. Jack knew that look well. The pup wouldn’t be able to stay up there for long. 

Jack looked over at another pillar, spaced not that far away from Hyrum’s and stopped chewing on his thumb. If he couldn’t get Hyrum down with magic, he’d have to do it with force. 

So, the sorcerer started to climb a pillar, slowly and laboriously as he kept slipping down the smooth rock face. He nearly slid all the way to the bottom when he felt a stinging pain bite into his skull. He snarled as he realized Hyrum had chucked a rock at his head, and forced himself to climb higher. 

He scrambled onto the top, and without even so much as a moment to catch his breath, he turned and threw himself across the gap. 

Hyrum yelped, holding the blade up to try and defend himself, but Jack crashed into him, sending them both onto the gravel below. 

Hyrum was well protected by his being a werewolf, however that didn’t help with the way the crash had sent the wind right out of his lungs. 

Jack grabbed the knife from out of trembling fingers and grabbed Hyrum’s throat with the other hand. “Alright, pup. I hope you enjoyed all of that. A waste of time and energy if you ask me,” he said, picking Hyrum up as he gasped and scratched at Jack’s wrist. 

Vindictively, Jack slammed Hyrum into the altar, making the pup’s eyes go wide and dazed as his head smacked into the obsidian. 

Jack now took a moment to breathe, changing his grip on the knife and on Hyrum’s throat so he could try and get at his voice box. 

“I would tell you to hold still, but that would be a bit of a waste of breath, wouldn’t it,” Jack said as Hyrum seemed to come back to his senses, fear and helplessness flooding his face as he realized he just didn’t have the energy to fight back anymore. 

Jack allowed himself a moment to drink it in. How couldn’t he, really. The pup had always been so cute and desperate when he was scared. So perfectly defenseless. 

“I think I will miss you a little… not much, but a little,” Jack commented mostly to himself, flipping the knife one more time for good measure before leaning over Hyrum to make the first incision. 

He only got as far as touching the blade to the werewolf’s throat, Hyrum’s golden eyes squeezed shut with silent tears tracking down his dirty cheeks, when Jack was slammed to the side and into the ground. 

He scrabbled at the gravel, reaching for the knife he dropped, but a powerful hand closed on the back of his neck, the other grabbing the back of his clothing to throw him onto his back. 

Jack’s manic eyes landed on Ephraim, who stood clean and furious before him, lips drawn back to show his broken fang. 

Ephraim had felt his heart nearly fall out of his rib cage when he’d seen Jack leaning over Hyrum like that, but was glad to see the pup scramble off the altar, frozen in indecision between trying to get away and going to hug Ephraim. 

“Ephraim!” Jack said in a placating tone, trying to get himself sorted out to sit up. “So good to see you! I thought you’d be in the pits by- CKkk”

Ephraim stood on his throat, watching as the sorcerer tried to get Ephraim’s foot off. “I almost was,” he replied, leaning some weight on it. “Goodbye, Jack. Hope you  are remembered in tales for the truly terrible fate you are dealt in the afterlife. 

Jack shook his head, eyes wide as he struggled to speak. 

“Bck! N’v’r bck! Wi’ow m’!”

Ephraom threw back his head and laughed a truly cold laugh. “I don’t care. I have an in with the queen here. I’m not concerned about getting back.”

“D’nt tr’st-”

“Oh I know,” Ephraim said, leaning hard just to watch as the sorcerer’s face turned an odd shade of blue. “I won’t, trust you that.”

Jack, realizing he wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of this, tried to gather the last bits of strength he had after constantly attacking Hyrum and after the arduous journey here, but Ephraim lifted his foot and slammed it into the sorcerer’s throat, listening to the satisfying crack of his neck. 

Ephraim stood like that, breathing heavily before he looked back at Goldenrod. “Don’t watch.”

Goldenrod, eyes wide and teary, nodded and turned away as Ephraim knelt down, slowly cracking Jack open to pull out each and every organ he could get his hands on and destroy them, scattering them everywhere. As soon as he had reduced Jack to a smear that no magic would be able to bring him back from, Ephraim stood up, stepping out of the now deactivated ritual circle to wipe his hands off in the grass. 

He looked back to see Goldenrod curled on his side on the ground, face almost touching one of the pillars. 

He got up and walked to Goldenrod only to realize that his little boy was breathing slowly and calmly, so trusting in Ephraim to deal with the mess that he paid no heed to the noises and let sleep take him. 

Ephraim clicked his tongue. He wanted to take the moment to heart and relish in it, but they weren’t safe yet. They were still in the fae realm, and while the fae queen was soft on his fledgling and Benny would surely do anything for him to get in his good graces again, Ephraim didn’t think for even a moment that they were anywhere near close to safe. They weren’t going to be safe till they were all home and that entrance in the forest was sealed. 

Ephraim carefully scooped Goldenrod into his arms, lifting him. The werewolf woke enough to grab onto him before he fell asleep again, the fear and constant adrenaline too much for his little system. 

Ephraim didn’t spare the smears in the gravel behind him any heed as he stepped into the grass, walking back towards where the castle had been. He didn’t know if they would actually make it since traveling in the fae wilds had turned out to be strange, getting Ephraim to the ritual place much faster than he expected without even seeing the entrance to the fae realm once on the way here, but he was sure Benny would have someone come looking for him, and there were already fae scouts out looking for Jack.

He walked for about an hour, Goldenrod only stirring to snuggle closer, when he saw some of the fog clearing ahead and a fae walked out through it. It was the gauzy fae from before. Kortops. 

“What have you found, Vampire?” he called. 

“My pup,” Ephraim replied cautiously. “I’ve killed the sorcerer, though you may want to dispose of his remains somehow. I am concerned he knew a good deal of dark magic and might have some way to come back.”

“I will have someone look into it. I will walk you back, yes?”

Ephraim was conflicted. He wanted to demand to go home, but he wasn’t certain how the fae would react to that and there was a large part of him that wanted to convince Benny to come home. But if they stayed they wouldn’t be able to eat. And Goldenrod needed to eat. 

“We will walk back to the palace,” Ephraim said uneasily. “Tell me, is there food here that isn’t of the fae.”

Kortops laughed. “You think we will hold you here if you eat it?” 

“I believe it may weaken defenses more than anything else,” Ephraim said a little testily. “I would really prefer to keep my wits about me.”

Kortops looked like he almost wanted to be offended about that, his wings flicking, but he sighed. “You have caught us, vampire. We are to be only the best hosts, and we will provide you with completely unenchanted food.”

“Every time?” 

“Every time,” the fae promised with a roll of his eyes. 

Good. It seemed Ephraim had discovered another rule the fae have to live by. They are, first and foremost good hosts, and they had to be truthful in their dealings as such. 

Ephraim would need to think carefully over all of his requests to be sure to watch for loop holes, then, and no fae would get to talk to Hyrum even once without Ephraim being there. 

“Thank you,” Ephraim said. Manners were likely important in a place like this. “When we arrive at the castle, I would like good, unenchanted food and a safe and secure place to sleep with a promise that no fae or fae servant will disturb us as we sleep. We have had a long, long day.”

“Of course,” Kortops said, taking on a subservient, though distant tone now. “Anything else for you, my liege?”

“That will be all for tonight,” Ephraim replied, just as distantly. His thoughts were already on the idea of a warm, comfortable shower and then a warm, comfortable bed where he and Goldenrod could curl up and he could ensure that his pup was safe and still alive. 

The palace loomed up through the mists again and Kortops led him inside, relaying orders to the servants who led Ephraim to a room. 

After Ephraim had triple checked that they knew to bring unenchanted but good food, he turned to caring for Goldenrod, getting some warm water and soap from the bathroom to clean his wounds and scrapes. Goldenrod was somewhat awake for this, whining and crying a little about being disturbed, but his demeanor changed as he smelled food as the fae brought it in for them to eat. 

Soon enough, they were fed, cleaned, clothed and in bed, Goldenrod passed out without even managing to say goodnight, and Ephraim, a hand on the back of Goldenrod’s head, followed soon after. 

Part 22

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 20 - Trapped, Trapped, Run

The new and improved version of duck duck goose.

Masterlist - Part 19

Content: (Heavy one today) Werewolf whumpee, human whumper, cuts and bruising, tormented, side character death, (somewhat graphic and definitely gross) creepy whumper, vampire whumpee, fae whumper, angst, emotional manipulation, implied noncon/dubcon

.............................................................

“Voicebox, heart, liver….. Just have to be patient, Jack. You can be patient. Eyes, skin….. It will all be yours. All of it.”

Jack shifted where he crouched, invisible in the mists as he watched Hyrum. The werewolf pup started circling the ritual place, looking for a weakness to escape through. As if Jack would allow that. Years of preparation would not be wasted here. 

“Voicebox, heart, liver,” Jack murmured, fingers twitching as he cast a wind to buffet Hyrum. His lips twitched as the pup stumbled, arms curled around his bare and bleeding torso. His eyes were so wide that Jack could see the whites from here. It made him hungry. “Eyes and skin. You can’t keep them much longer pup. They’re mine. They’re all mine. This land will be mine. That queen will be mine.”

He flicked a finger again, the gravel rising in waves and sending Hyrum to the ground, struggling to get back up. 

Jack laughed lowly, entertained for now by tormenting the werewolf until he was too exhausted to keep defending himself. His concentration was broken by the sound of wings above. 

He let the gravel fall still again as he looked up, seeing the shape above him. It appeared to be a fae with a hawk-like outline above him. 

Jack gritted his teeth. He could hide himself from the pup in the ritual circle, but he couldn't keep hidden from the fae above him. 

The fae whirled around, flying quickly away. Jack hissed to himself, standing up and dashing after the fae, gathering his energy and concentration as his ragged coat flew about behind him. He lifted his hand, growling ancient words of power, ill gotten and hard won, and the fae screeched, falling out of the sky. 

To the fae’s credit, he rolled smoothly as he hit the ground, bouncing back up to his feet and running across the hills. 

“No you don’t, pest,” Jack hissed. “I am the ruler of these lands? Don’t you understand that!?”

He threw his hand out, mushroom flesh enveloping the bird man’s legs. He screeched as he fell to the blue grass and thrashed as Jack caught up, straddling him. 

Jack laughed maniacally as he tore the fae apart with long, jagged nails, blood and ichor welling up under his fingers as he ripped and shredded flesh and feathers alike, the dying sounds of the fae singing to him like a siren’s song. 

When he was done, the pile of flesh, blood, and feathers was still, killed by the dark magic that infused every inch of Jack’s body. He panted, licking scraps of ribboned flesh off his fingers. 

“A scout,” he said thoughtfully to himself. “From the queen? She will know what I intend to do. Not much time, then. Not much time at all.”

He stood up, stalking back through the mists towards the ritual place. 

“The pup is mine. No more games. No more waiting.”

He stopped in place when he could see the ritual place again. It seemed there would be more waiting. The pup sat at the top of one of the tall obelisks, shrouded with the magic there, unintentionally finding the best place to be protected from Jack’s magic, even if he couldn’t get down the other side. 

Jack snarled, stalking up to the obelisk. “Get down here!”

Hyrum looked down, face set in a hard, fierce expression. 

“We’ll do this the hard way, then,” Jack said in a low tone. 

…………………………………………………

Ephraim had been in the bathroom a long time after Benny had given him new clothing and showed him the way silently. Ephraim had been fuming the whole way, so Benny decided to stay quiet, but he couldn’t take it anymore. 

He knocked on the door and cleared his throat. “Hey, Ephraim? Can we talk?”

There was silence for a long moment on the other side. 

“Eef?”

“Oh, you want to talk to me now?” Ephraim replied, sulkily on the other side over the sound of the shower. 

“Well…. Yeah,” Benny said nervously. “I’m sorry, really. I know I made a mistake now…. Are you done? Can you come out here to talk?”

“No.”

“Ephraim! Come on. I don’t remember you being so sulky-”

“I have had a very bad day today, Benny. I don’t want to talk about this.”

‘Benny.’ So he wasn’t too mad… hopefully. 

“I-I know. You were here for another kid, right?”

“..... Goldenrod. His name is Goldenrod. He’s a werewolf pup I’ve kind of adopted.”

Benny tapped his fingers gently against the door. “What’s he like?” Who did Ephraim choose to have live in his house after Benny was taken? 

“Quiet. He’s been coming out of his shell lately. He’s a very sweet pup. Why do you want to know?”

“Just… cause. I missed you.”

Ephraim hummed. “Not enough, apparently.”

“Oh, come on, Eef!” Benny said, exasperated now. “You know the fae are complicated! Living with them is complicated! Being married to one even more so!”

“You’re smart, Benny. You could have figured it out.”

Benny felt something he hadn’t experienced in a while. Something he had been ignoring, rather. Guilt curled in his stomach. There wasn’t much to feel guilty about living in the fae courts. Everyone acted according to their nature and everyone expected as such. No need for guilt here. He’d forgotten how unpleasant it felt. He could have found a way. The courts had made him lazy. His wife had made him feel whole and complete, like there was nothing to worry about or work on. It was the way of the courts. He was a little startled to remember how much he had hated that at first, being stuck on such a plateau of growth, but he’d just gotten used to it after a while. 

“I’ll message Margie as soon as we find your pup,” Benny said, more of a promise to himself than to Ephraim. “I promise.”

“Was your wife keeping you from coming back? From sending anything?”

“In the beginning, yeah,” Benny said, another uncomfortable twinge in his stomach. He didn’t like being reminded of the time he spent as her pet rather than as her beloved husband. He didn’t like being reminded that his wife didn’t treat everyone well all of the time. 

“You never thought of escaping?”

“I can’t escape. I ate their food. It’s-”

“You never tried?”

Benny felt another sinking sensation in his guts. No. He never had. He’d assumed that to be the truth and made the best of the situation. 

Ephraim seemed to sense the answer. “I’m done with this conversation. Leave me be, Benny.”

“Come on, Eef. I’m sorry, okay? This place has an effect on a person! Okay, I admit I might not have been strong enough to fight the effect, but you can’t seriously blame me, can you?”

The silence stretched on, grating on Benjamin’s ears. “I did miss you, really…. Time moves really weird here… like it does in those books you liked to get from the merchants. The fantasy ones. I still remember all of the books you read to me when I was a fledgling. That really helped, you know. You’d think you’d had a fledgling before me with how well you took care of me.”

He hoped the nostalgia would draw Ephraim back into the conversation, but the shower sounds continued on regardless. 

“I think I’ll be able to convince my wife to send you home before you need anything to eat,” Benny said. “And I’ll see about visiting, I probably have been here for too long.”

He waited for a response, even an angry one. He just wanted Ephraim to say something. 

“I don’t know what you want from me,” Benny said, suddenly feeling lonely and scared, like when he first arrived in this place. “Talk to me, please?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when cool arms wrapped around his torso from behind. His wife rested her chin on his shoulder, humming softly as her antlers brushed up against his cheek. She was wearing her smaller form for him. He’d mentioned once that he’d always thought he’d marry someone shorter than him and she started wearing this form whenever they were alone after that. Her horns were much simpler and her body just a bit plumper, like the healthy women back in his village rather than the sickly stick-thin figure she presented to the courts. 

“Hello love. Why are you talking to an empty room?” she purred.

“What?”

He pushed the door open, no regards for privacy anymore only to see Ephraim’s tattered clothing on the ground, the shower still running, and the window open and swaying guiltily in the breeze. 

“I think he’s gone to find his pup,” she hummed. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. We should go have dinner, my love.”

“I have to go after him,” Benny said, trying to gently peel Inermis’s arms off of himself. 

“Come now, stay, Benny. He can take care of himself. I can send more fae to help him,” she said, pouting and refusing to let go. “Come to the bedroom with me? We can have some fun.”

But Benny wasn’t listening to her, the worry and guilt growing in his stomach as he tried to free himself from her grasp. “Let me go! I need to go help him! There’s a sorcerer out there. Why aren’t you worried?”

“Oh, come on, sweetheart,” she said, moving like a snake to grab each of his wrists in an unbreakable grasp. “He’ll be fine. Come with me, please?”

Benny felt some of that pain in his stomach drift away, a comfortable mollifying mist falling over him despite the bruising grip she had on him. He nodded faintly, taking one last look at the open window before she dragged him off towards their bedroom. 

………………………………..

The escape down the jagged side of the castle had been somewhat arduous and painful, but Ephraim had landed at the bottom, clean though cut up and aching. Still, he rolled up his sleeves, made sure his hair was pulled back after that slide and tumble down and took off across the landscape towards the smell of the vampire pit. If he could find that, he could find his way back to the entrance to the fae wilds and then go the direction Jack had taken Goldenrod. 

“I’m coming,” Ephraim panted, running faster as he left the silent cobbled courtyard and got into the soft grass. “I’m coming!”

Part 21

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer

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Clove: Part 13 - Play?

GUESS WHO'S BACK! IT'S THE BOIIII!!! Let me know if you want to be on the taglist.

Masterlist

Part 12

Content: Werewolf whumpee, fear, ignorant comments about his scars, mentions of past abuse

...............................................

Ephraim had to leave to help make the house safe again. 

Hyrum knew he was safe, he knew Ephraim would be back, he had his bird toy and he was full, huddled under the blankets as snug as a hibernating creature…. but every new sound scared him. A subtle creak of the house settling had him clutching the blanket and toy closer, his heart pounding. He just wanted to be home. In Ephraim’s house. 

He pressed his face into the pillow, taking a deep breath to fill his nose with Ephraim’s scent. It was like warm raspberries picked right off the cane, undertones of bread and flowers firmly carrying home the feeling of safety. 

He slowly relaxed again and got more comfortable, pulling his toy out of the blankets to get a better look at it, running a finger over the carved features of the bird, ears twitching as the ball rolled around gently inside of it.

He sighed and tried to relax, closing his eyes again. 

That went away when he heard footsteps and voices and the front door opened. He sat up quickly, the scents of the werewolf children from the trip to see the merchant reaching his nose. 

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here,” said one voice, which Hyrum completely agreed with as he slipped out of the bed on the opposite side from the doorway. 

“Oh, stop being such a pansy.”

Hyrum silently dropped down and wiggled under the bed, cupping his hands over his face to muffle his breathing as he heard the two sets of footsteps come down the hall, stopping at the door. He closed his eyes as it creaked open. 

“Is he in the bed?” the younger sounding voice asked. 

The older one approached and Hyrum flinched as he patted the bed. 

“No, doesn’t look like it.”

“Is he still in here?”

“Course he is. Can’t you smell him?”

Hyrum opened his eyes in time to see knees contact the floor and a face peering under the bed, right at him. 

“Aha!” the grey haired werewolf said, tail sweeping the floor. “There he is!”

Hyrum scrambled back out without thinking, getting to his feet and backing up quickly enough that he banged rather loudly into the wall, hands searching the blank space behind him as his tail tucked itself between his legs and he ducked his head to protect his throat.

The other wolf, a younger kid with darker hair, though not quite black, stared at him while the older came around the bed, slowly and steadily, like he was stalking Hyrum. 

Hyrum felt his heart beating faster, and he whimpered as the wolf took another step towards him. 

The wolf froze, head cocked to the side for a moment. He took another step and Hyrum started seeing spots from how quickly he was breathing, none of the air actually making it anywhere. 

The wolf froze in place, halfway through another step. He backed up a bit until Hyrum felt like he could breathe again, still shaking like an aspen leaf and gasping for air, tears escaping down his cheeks. 

“What’s wrong with him?” the younger one asked.

“I don’t know,” said the elder. “Here, back out of the room. Maybe he’ll be less scared with just one of us.”

The younger wolf pouted, but did as he was told. 

Hyrum did not feel any better, pinned down under the gaze of the older wolf. Was he older? He looked older. He was bigger than Hyrum, with broader shoulders and shinier teeth and flesh on his bones. He would be a real weapon. 

Not that it mattered. Hyrum wasn’t even supposed to be a weapon anyways, apparently. 

“You’re Goldenrod, yeah?”

Hyrum relaxed a little upon hearing the nickname and nodded faintly. 

“I’m Isaac.”

Hyrum watched nervously, not certain of what the other wolf wanted. Isaac seemed to be waiting for something before looking around a little, confused. 

He looked back and asked, “What are you so scared of?”

Hyrum didn’t know how to answer. Wasn’t it obvious? There was a bigger, tougher wolf in the room, blocking his exit after breaking into the house he and Ephraim had been staying at. How was that not terrifying?

Isaac stared at him for a long time before taking a slow step forward and all of Hyrum’s muscles which had relaxed even the slightest were tight again, sweat breaking out down his back. 

Still, Isaac didn’t stop until he was a few steps away, leaning closer. Hyrum could hear him sniffing, could see he was open and relaxed. 

“Wh… What do you want?” Hyrum whispered hoarsely, terrified. 

Isaac leaned back again and frowned. “I haven’t seen another werewolf in a while that’s not from my family. I just wanted to see what your deal was.”

Hyrum didn’t know what that was supposed to mean and didn’t respond, which, to his horror, seemed to frustrate the other wolf. 

“I mean, what is your deal? Mum said there was an intruder in the village and Ephraim has been staying here and you haven’t even left this house once! Don’t you want to go outside? Don’t you want to see other pups and play?”

Hyrum shivered. Being in the sun sounded nice. It always did. But playing with pups? Isaac talked about it like it was a normal thing. And Ephraim was expecting him to be here when he got back. What if he went outside and Ephraim thought he’d been taken? Just the thought of Ephraim worrying over it for even a moment freaked Hyrum out. And what if he did get taken?

“‘M scared,” Hyrum said softly, head tucked in still. He was afraid that Isaac wouldn’t like his answer and would lash out at him and hurt him. Jack always did. 

“Why? We’re not going anywhere crazy. Me and my sibs are playing out in Mrs. Julien’s yard. It’s basically across the road from here.”

Hyrum was beginning to consider the idea, if only because he loved the feeling of sun on his skin. Isaac seemed genuine as well. 

After a long moment he nodded. “Okay… and I can come back here whenever I want, right?”

“Right,” Isaac said, impatient now. “You should bring your toy. It’s almost Angie’s turn to play and she always wants to play house or rescue the princess or sacrifices to the demon lord. Come on!”

Isaac left, leaving no context for what he’d just said, but Hyrum carefully scooped up his bird and left the comfortable room. He saw the two wolves go out the front door, talking to one another. He passed the table in the front room, giving it a wide berth as feelings of panic and fear stirred around him, as though he’d left them under there when he had been hiding there a few nights before. 

He very slowly stepped out of the house and onto the front porch, the wood rough under his bare feet and the sun like a blessing on his skin. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of it in his curls. His curls! He’d never had curly hair before. Ephraim had told him that now he was getting more food and sleep and he wasn’t covered in mange, he was getting his ‘real hair’ in. Hyrum didn’t fully understand it, but he was glad for it as a sign of being taken care of and fed. 

He stepped down onto the dirt path and quickly crossed the road, smooth rocks poking up through the dirt and pebbles here and there. 

He got to the other side and hesitated on the edge of a yard of soft grasses and small wildflowers, four wolves gathered together in the center of the yard where another brother and a sister had been waiting. 

Isaac waved him over and he approached carefully. 

“This is Goldenrod,” Isaac said, and the girl nodded, eyeing Hyrum’s toy a little bit, making him clutch it a little tighter. “Goldenrod, this is my brother Simon, you’ve met Lionel, and this is Angie.” Lionel was the wolf who had come to the house with Isaac, it seemed. Simon and Angie both had black hair and fur and Simon nodded, a little intrigued, though it was Angie who spoke first. 

“What’s wrong with your face?” she asked, tilting her head. 

Hyrum felt a swoop of… what was that feeling? Like he was anxious, but in an entirely different way. He didn’t realize that the way Isaac had talked to him had given him a new idea. One of being accepted by more than just Ephraim, and now he felt like that was dashed. Destroyed by Jack because of the scars on his face. 

He could feel his eyes watering and he looked down quickly, glad for his curly hair for another reason now. 

“Hey! Be nice, Angie,” Isaac barked. “Seriously, mum taught you manners! I was there for it!”

Angie huffed. “I just wanted to know,” she whined. 

“It really isn’t nice,” Simon said in a quiet, slow tone. 

“Oh, come on! Scars are cool!”

Cool? What could possibly be cool about the pain and starvation he went through? What was good about that written across his entire body? For no good reason? There was no reason for it. None of it. None of the silver or knives or ‘training’ or the initials in his arm. No reason for the burns or the broken fingers or the bleeding head wounds or the mange. 

Hyrum turned to go back to the house, wrapping his arms tightly around his body causing the toy to be shoved harshly into his ribs. 

“Wait!” Lionel said, running up and coming around to stand in front of Hyrum. He was shorter than Hyrum was, but he still looked stronger. He looked up into Hyrum’s face earnestly and said, “Please can you stay? We can make her go home! We want to play with you!”

“Hey! You can’t make me go home!”

“We will if you don’t apologize,” Isaac nodded and Simon added, “A real apology, Angie.”

She huffed at both of them but she came over, a rather worn doll in hand and she took a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry, Goldenrod. I shouldn’t have asked about your scars and I won’t ask again. Will you play with us?”

Hyrum was puzzled by her tone. It was strange but he didn’t recognize it enough to put a finger on it. Still, hesitant and feeling a little bit pressure from their eyes all on him, he nodded. 

They all seemed very excited and had him kneel in the grass to play where he lived the strangest hour of his life giving a personality to his bird toy and helping rescue a princess from a demon who wanted to play house with her. 

Part 14

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10

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Clove Masterlist

Main master list

When a werewolf child comes out of the woods covered in cuts, burns, and bruises tries to murder Ephraim outside his own cottage, the vampire takes him in to heal him and figure out who did this and who carved their initials into the child's arm.

Content: Werewolf whumpee, human sorcerer whumper, vampire caretaker. It's got weapon whump vibes, but less weapon and more 'sacrifice I've spent years preparing' vibes.

Main Story line - Complete

Part 1 - Silver Stake Part 2 - A soiled Blanket Part 3 - Goldenrod Part 4 - Food and Bath Part 5 - Training Part 6 - Bookmark Part 7 - Teeth Part 8 - Macabre Part 9 - Travelling Merchant Part 10 - Encounters Part 11 - Unburied Grief Part 12 - Why? Part 13 - Play? Part 14 - Heat Exhaustion Part 15 - Quiet Grief Part 16 - Faerie Circles Part 17 - The Pit Part 18 - Fight Back Part 19 - Chandelier Part 20 - Trapped, Trapped, Run Part 21 - No Monologues Part 22 - Good Hosts, Good Guests Part 23 - Up a Creek Part 24 - Guest Rules Only Apply to Guests Part 25 - The Procession Part 26 - Preparations Part 27 - Alliance Part 28 - Sleepover Part 29 - Hungry Part 30 - You're Mine Part 31 - Funeral Feast Part 32 - Blood in the Mirror Part 33 - Home Epilogue

Extra Content

Voltober - Stubborn as a Mule Voltober - It's So Easy When You're Evil Voltober - When the Lambs Become the Wolves

Art

Hyrum (Chained in Jack's basement) Hyrum (After first bath and stitching) Ephraim (Actual reference) Ephraim and Hyrum (Happy times) Ephraim, trapped and useless Benny, design and whump Halia and Kortops designs

Fanart

Hyrum snaps back! (part 18) Hyrum's least favorite outfit (Part 26)

Ask doodles

Sunburn

Let me know if you want to be on the taglist

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Clove: Epilogue

Author's Note: We are at the end. This is wild. I have a hard time finishing stories, and ages ago I started this and thought I would never finish it. But I came back to it and here we are. Here we are. If you have any questions about this story, anything more you want to know, please send me asks. I love everyone who read this, even if you didn't comment or reblog. Thank you.

Masterlist - Part 33

Content: Vampire whumpee, emotional angst, being immortal sucks sometimes, dead body/funeral

...............................................

The funeral took place on the perfect day. It was warm, but a pleasant breeze swept through the air, stirring everyone’s hair and clothing. The trees rustled warmly, as though telling everyone that it would be alright. 

And it would have to be. 

Margaret lay in the box in front of them, Josh leading the ceremony in her stead. He was officially the village’s witch, with his wife’s help. There were tears in his eyes as he recounted a tale of the old lady bashing his knuckles for putting herbs in the wrong place only to care for the scrape she caused herself. 

“She never really knew her own strength sometimes,” he sniffled. “Or maybe she did and she just didn’t care. She was a good witch, and I hope to fill her shoes one day in taking care of this village.”

Ephraim bowed his head where he sat on a front row next to Benny. Hyrum sat on his other side, his little Goldenrod, who just couldn’t sit still. One moment he’d lean on Ephraim, fidgeting with the old fashioned ruffle tie Ephraim wore, then he would sit up and pick at his crooked fingers, then he would bounce his legs wildly. 

The fourth time Ephraim had to pull Hyrum back up into his seat on the bench as he bent down to look at something in the grass (the church pews having been pulled out for the funeral since it was so nice outside) it hit him through his grief how much of a blessing Hyrum’s constant fidgeting was. 

He opened his eyes and looked at Margaret, lying peacefully in the box and remembered how still and deathly Hyrum himself had been. Ephraim had often wondered if he really was a werewolf, and now his boy, not so little as he’d started a new growth spurt, was acting like a true werewolf. Stir crazy in the sun. 

Benny, on the other hand, was as still as the stones that marked the small graveyard they sat beside. He had helped dig the hole his sister would be going into, dirt still crusted under his nails. He’d started growing his hair long again, and he was wearing something much more sensible, a long brown overcoat overtop a cream linen shirt and black trews. The muscles in his jaw tensed, and Ephraim knew that Benny was trying to convince himself that it wasn’t his fault that he missed so much time with Margie. Trying to convince himself that just getting this last year was a blessing. 

Ephraim knew that argument well. He would continue to lose friends and loved ones, even Hyrum one day, but he was used to that now. Benny would have to learn to come to terms with it as well. 

As Josh went to sit down, Ephraim stood. There was no order to the speeches and anyone could decide to talk if they chose. Ephraim wondered if Benny would. He doubted it, looking back at his fledgling.

Ephraim got up by the casket and looked down at Margie’s face, marveling at how much peace he saw there. How did Josh manage that? He’d always imagined she would look just as stern in death as she was in life. Josh had better not be messing about with dark magic. Again. The man was too curious for his own good. 

Ephraim shook his head and looked out across the crowd. Everyone in the village had come to pay respects, and everyone except for the children were willing to put up with the funeral all afternoon if there were so many speakers. 

In fact, he could see in their faces they were looking forward to Ephraim’s speech; he who knew the witch so well. 

He cleared his throat and said, “About a year and a half ago I attended another funeral. In the fae realm.”

He glanced at Halia and Kortops who sat leaning on one another, Josh and Anna sitting next to them with a child who looked like Dimitri when he was a baby in Anna’s arms. The young lad had finally passed away during the winter while Ephraim and Hyrum had been in the fae realms, and while he had been distressed to hear he had missed the child’s last few months, Halia and Kortops gave them another child to share between the four of them, and shaped by the love of his new human parents, he was growing up to look like Dimitri, if a bit stouter and taller, his eyes more wild and free. Kortops reached over to run a hand over his changeling’s head, Halia smiling as Anna cooed to the baby who was babbling happily. 

“That funeral,” Ephraim continued, “Was the most splendid thing I’d ever laid eyes upon. There was a procession, feasts, and even decorations and food made by magic. However, in all of it, I don’t think a single fae you picked out of the crowd would have been able to tell you the name of the fae who had died.”

There was silence, people almost leaning forward in their chairs. Ephraim barely talked about the fae realms and everyone was desperate to know more. 

“Here, however, I know every single one of you knew Margeret. Every one of you ate her food, had her medicine, knew how a scolding from her felt. Everyone here remembers and honors her memory, and that is more precious than any fae decoration, food, or procession.”

He stopped, feeling choked up before he said, “She was a wonderful woman her whole life. Fearless and true. She never feared what others thought about her and stood for what she knew. Some may call that stubborn, I call that being a good witch.”

Ephraim turned fully to the casket and laid an undying hand on Margaret’s peaceful brow. “Rest now, daughter of Death. Rest now and return. Know that we will miss you, but we will….. Most of us will join you. Beloved and wonderful life burn out and give over to the night. Rest and know we remember you.”

He bowed his head over the funeral rites of an ancient culture he could no longer remember fully before he headed back to his seat. 

There were no more speeches after that. Ephraim had learned to try and go when he felt everyone important had gone at funerals. People told him he had a gift with words, and that there was no possible way to follow him. 

He went back over to the pews and nodded to Hyrum who was making big puppy dog eyes at him. Hyruym jumped out of his seat and ran after the other wolf pups as Ephraim called out, “Try not to ruin your clothes!”

A laugh came from behind him and he turned to find Tory standing there, hand on her hip. “He’s a werepup, Ephraim. You’re wasting your time. Your fault for putting him in those clothes in the first place.”

“Oh?” Ephraim said, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t those your pups wearing funeral clothing?”

Tori looked over to the box where Margaret lay and sighed. “I wanted to show some respect to her, I guess. Ruined clothing seems the best way to go.”

Ephraim smiled warmly. He was glad to be getting along with Tory more these days. She had to take the brunt of protecting the village while he was gone, and it seemed she had a new understanding and respect for what he did. 

“I’ll keep an eye on the kids,” she said. “Looks like you still have more work to do.”

Ephraim glanced over his shoulder where she was looking to see Benny leaned forward, his head in his hands. 

“Yeah, looks like,” Ephraim said gruffly. 

He nodded to Tory before going and taking a seat beside Benny again. 

Benny didn’t move as Ephraim put a hand on his back. 

“I miss her, Ephraim… and I barely knew her,” Benny whispered. A sob escaped him and he pressed his face into his hands harder. 

Ephraim curled an arm over Benny and pulled him closer and tighter into his side. “I know…. I’m sorry, Benny. I really am.”

Benny trembled for a long moment. “And what if I never die?” he whispered, horrified. “I’ll never see her again.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say never. Life happens. I’ve seen plenty of vampires die, but we have been given this gift, this curse, to never know how long it will take to go with Lady Death and be welcomed home. It’s not easy, but there is still joy to be found in it.”

Benny was silent for a long time before he said, “I don’t want one of your sermons, Ephraim.”

“Okay,” Ephraim said placatingly. He ran a hand up and down Benny’s back as people started to help take pews back to the church, giving Ephraim and Benny space as the ones closest to the witch. 

They sat there, longer than mortals could stand but a short while for beings who lived as long as they did. They were the only ones left, their pew alone beside the graveyard. Maragret’s box had been closed, nailed shut and sprinkled with herbs and flower petals. Benny had shivered with every nail driven into the wood, and Ephraim crooned and chirped to him comfortingly the whole time. 

Ephraim didn’t worry about Hyrum. He had another child to take care of, and Tory would make sure Hyrum ate well. 

Sunset approached and Josh came back from attending to other duties, looking reverent and solemn. “It’s time. Lady Death waits.”

Benny sobbed again and Ephraim helped him up. 

After Benny recovered himself, he took one end of the casket, Ephraim taking the other, and they gently carried it to the hole, lowering it in. 

Ephraim began to fill the hole again, and, after a moment, Benny started to help, though he stopped halfway through to kneel by the hole, sobbing as Josh comforted him. 

Finally, the grave was filled and Ephraim, with dirt covered hands and sweat grimed face, helped Benny up. 

“Watch,” was all he whispered into Benny’s ears. 

Benny opened his eyes as Josh stood before the grave and gave the funeral rites of this culture. “Lady of Death and Skies, here lies a woman. Your beautiful daughter. Recognize her, and take her home. Let her know peace and happiness in the great expanse of your palace.”

Ephraim watched eagerly, and there, invisible to mortal eyes, a woman in dark purple silks and dark vails appeared. Her black wings swept the grass, her wide brimmed hat, like that of a fancy woman’s sun hat, was draped in vails that fell all the way to the ground around her. 

She looked up at the two of them. 

“Ephraim,” she intoned. 

Ephraim let go of Benny, bowing fully from the waist to Josh’s surprise. “My lady.”

She looked to Benny, giving him a soft smile. “She is safe with me,” she promised. 

She bent her knees, reaching down into the ground, coming back with something pale and glowing in her hand before she disappeared. 

“What…. Was that-?”

“The Lady Death,” Ephraim said softly. “This is the gift we have been given, Benny. We do not know when we will die, but we are not left without her comfort.”

“Lady Death? What? Did you see her?” Josh asked the two of them. 

Ephraim smiled at Josh. “A fraction of her, yes. Come on, Benny. There’s celebrating to be done. If you’re not drunk in the hour, slap me.”

The two of them made off into the village to take the edge off their sorrow with remembered joys of Margaret’s life and time well spent with friends. 

“Idiots, the both of them,” a wretched voice said, though as she spoke, the crackling quality faded. 

“Perhaps. But they are yours.”

“Yes,” Margaret said as she turned to walk with Lady Death to her palace. “That they are.”

THE END

Hey! Reminder that I have other stories you can check out, and I will be starting a new story soon since this one is finished. Again. Thank you for reading :D

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff 

@honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer 

@currentlyinthesprial @scoundrelwithboba @whumps-and-bumps @hellodecisionparalysis @scatteriskity

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Clove: Part 12 - Why?

Masterlist

Part 11

I love my boys, of course of course, but also have you seen Margie and Josh? IDK what this side plot is doing, but I am invested personally.

Content: Werewolf whumpee, vampire caretaker, so much fluff, so much panic, mentions of a child who is chronically ill

............................................

Everything smelled like Ephraim. Hyrum hummed softly, nestling farther under whatever was draped over him. He felt content and safe. Protected. 

Faintly, he caught the scent of Ephraim’s blood and his eyes flew open as he scrambled up to see what was wrong. Ephraim was sleeping in the bed next to him, and he woke up as Hyrum started checking him for where he could smell blood. There was dried blood on his shirt on the floor so Hyrum pulled the shirt Ephraim was wearing back and forth, trying to see whatever damage there was as much as his addled brain could manage. 

Ephraim reached out, taking Hyrum’s arms, making him whine. 

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Ephraim asked. 

“Blood,” Hyrum said, struggling to get free, to make sure the vampire was okay. “There’s blood.”

“Ah,” Ephraim said. He sat up, letting Hyrum go and lifted his shirt. There was a pale scar across his chest and Ephraim said, “I’m okay, see? There was a dangerous man at the cottage and he hurt me when we were fighting, but I’m okay.”

Hyrum brushed a finger over it, to make sure Ephraim was telling the truth, but true enough the wound was sealed and all that was left was the scar. 

“Oh,” Hyrum said softly.

Ephraim dropped the shirt and held his arms open, letting Hyrum plough into him. Ephraim held him for a while, soothing all of the spiraling little fears that had taken up residence in his brain the night before. Still, there was a quiet terror he couldn’t quite shake. He had gotten a tiny taste of what it would be like to lose what he had here and it had been devastating. The real thing would surely destroy him entirely. 

He tried to shake the fear. Just because there was a bad man at the cottage, it didn’t mean that it was necessarily Jack. Who knows how many bad men there were in the woods. Hyrum knew that Jack had friends so it stood to reason there were even more than that. In fact, at one point he’d been convinced that all humans were like Jack.

Still, curious and apprehensive at the same time, Hyrum twisted, grabbing one of Ephraim’s hands and closed his eyes, smelling it deeply. 

His hackles rose as his deepest fear was confirmed and he froze. 

Ephraim pulled him into a tighter hug as the werewolf began to hyperventilate, tried to pull closer to Ephraim, tried to crawl into his very chest so he could hide forever. 

“Goldenrod, hey,” Ephraim’s soft voice said urgently. “I know you’re scared. I know, I know. Stay with me, sweetheart.”

Hyrum made a conscious effort to calm down, pressing his ear against Ephraim’s chest and listening to Ephraim’s very slow heartbeat. Ephraim ran a soothing hand up and down Hyrum’s back, a touch the boy couldn’t have even imagined just a month ago. 

Hyrum quickly came to a realization, one that he had shied away from before because it couldn’t possibly be true, but now….

“You’re not going to let him take me,” he whispered in awe, twisting his head to look up at Ephraim, only really seeing the bottom of his chin. 

“No, I’m not going to let him take you,” Ephraim said gently. “And the next time he comes to cause trouble, I’ll…. I’ll kill him. And then he’ll never get to take you.”

Hyrum relaxed into Ephraim’s arms as Ephraim pressed a kiss to his head. 

“Thank you,” Hyrum breathed. 

“Of course, Goldenrod,” and Hyrum was too ecstatic and relaxed to hear the gentle and complicated sort of sadness in Ephraim’s voice. 

…………………………………….

Margie was exhausted. She had spent nearly all day working on the cottage and she had only cleared the front room. There hadn’t been any traps or curses in the kitchen or the storage room, but both of the bedrooms were hexed to the high heavens. 

Josh helped support her as she grumbled, unable to do anything else even with Josh’s help. They’d have to come back in the morning. Not for the first time, Margie realized she needed an actual apprentice, someone to take over for her when she was too weak to do this anymore. Most of the time she pushed the thought off to deal with when she was ‘actually old’ in her mind, but now, exhausted, feet aching underneath her and feeling sick to her stomach, Margie allowed the thought to actually stay this time and make a nest in her mind. Maybe she didn’t feel ‘actually old’, but she recognized that she was. 

She was faintly miffed with herself that she needed to be so run down to be able to accept thoughts like that, but here she was. 

She ran the people of the village through her mind, trying to think of who would work best for this sort of job. Someone who was careful and fairly neat in their actions. It would be useful if they had some knowledge in distilling and brewing, even if it wasn't specifically experience with potions. Lots of free time on their hands to learn this sort of thing and an ability to sort out magic by feel. Not likely to be bowled over by other people’s opinions. 

Just as she was starting to run the adults of the village through her mind, she realized the answer was right in front of her. Or, rather, right beside her helping her walk. She inwardly groaned. Still, there were worse people to work with and Josh met all the requirements. Well, most of them. While his business with wine and alcohol meant he had knowledge in brewing and distilling and gave him the winter’s off because of the money made during the summers and he wouldn’t have to tend to the grape vines he kept, he had three children he helped his wife look after so free time might not be as free as she liked, but he was the best option, especially after seeing him work alongside her in the cottage. 

“Josh,” Margie said in a croaking voice.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever considered becoming the village’s magic man?”

Josh’s stunned silence lasted only a moment before he said, “Can’t say I have. Why?”

Margie grumbled a little before saying, “You were very helpful in there, and I can’t keep this up forever, you know.”

“Are you asking me to become your apprentice?” he asked, a wry smile on his sun tanned face. 

“If you have to know, yes.”

Josh thought about it for a moment before he said, “I think I could? I’ll have to talk it over with Anna first, of course.”

“Of course,” Margie grumbled. “Maybe I could teach her too. You could split the load between the two of you. She’s already proved herself useful when it comes to herbs and remedies and the like.”

Josh sighed. “Yeah. I guess that sort of happens when you have a child like Dimitri.”

Margie nodded. Dimitri was a weak, though resilient sort. He was almost always sick but still plowed on through life like he was going to live it to the fullest, no matter if it shortened his lifespan. It seemed to make his parents happy, though. The village often watched him carefully, wondering if this was going to be his last winter. 

Margie certainly remembered his birth and his first winter. Anna had nearly died giving birth to the child and he practically lived in Margie’s little hovel during that first winter with endless bouts of croup and any passing cold that decided to drop in for a visit. 

“I’ll walk you to your house and then I’ll let Ephraim know he can’t go back today,” Josh said matter of factly, and Margie bristled. 

“I can tell him myself.”

“Oh, no, old bird,” Josh said easily and Margie nearly cursed him out. He had been growing to be just as brazen as his wife. “You’ll go home and rest. Orders from the possible future magic man.”

Margie huffed. “Insufferable. Completely insufferable.”

“Your knees will thank me,” Josh promised. 

And Margie hated that he was right.

……………………………….

Guntar was kind enough to let Ephraim and Hyrum stay in his house while he was out working, and Ephraim was glad for it. He didn’t much feel like leaving the bed, and Hyrum certainly wasn’t up to it. 

As the two laid curled together, dozing off in intervals, there was a knock on the door which made Hyrum whimper, grabbing hold of Ephraim. 

Ephraim stroked his head, listening as a familiar voice called, “Ephraim!?”

Ephraim placed his hands over Hyrum’s sensitive ears and called back, “In here! Come in!”

The door opened and Josh shuffled in, eventually poking his head in. 

“Oh, sorry,” he said, surprised when he saw the two. 

“It’s fine,” Ephraim said. “Goldenrod and I had a bit of a scare, so we decided to just rest for today.”

“So I heard last night. Well, not that I actually heard it. Embarrassed to say I slept through the whole event,” Josh said. “Anyways, I went up with Margie to try and sort out your cottage. It’s a mess up there. The spells were laid pretty thick. We did what we could but the bedrooms are still hexed and trapped. We’ll be going up again tomorrow to see if we can finish…. Well, that’s if Margie can make the trip back up the hill. Her knees have been giving her some trouble, see?”

“Oh, thank you, Josh,” Ephraim said kindly, pulling up the blanket to hide Hyrum a little better. “I know you probably have things to do, but would you be able to drop by the butcher’s shop and ask Guntar if we can stay here another night or if we should find other accommodations?”

“Absolutely,” Josh said with a warm smile. Ephraim deeply appreciated that Josh didn’t pry as to why Ephraim couldn’t do it himself. He didn’t want to draw attention to Hyrum when he was so scared. “I’ll be back in a bit, then.”

“Thank you,” Ephraim said softly and Josh nodded, heading back out to do as he was asked. 

Ephraim stroked Hyrum’s head under the covers, laying his own head back down on the pillow, contemplating the situation. It sounded like he and Hyrum wouldn’t be able to go back to the house for a while, which left him in a rather sticky situation. He wasn’t certain how well Hyrum would do when it came to being around other people. As far as the vampire could tell, the werewolf was terrified of everyone who wasn’t Ephraim. 

And even after Josh and Margie got the spells cleared up, Ephraim would have to find someone to try and clear out Jack’s scent or at least cover it, or go do it himself, though he wasn’t sure how well Hyrum would take it. He supposed he would just have to see how Hyrum reacted after he had a couple of days to process everything. Who knew, Hyrum had proved to be rather resilient, if a bit hesitant. He could grow to like people after finding that they wouldn’t hurt him. After all, he had grown quite attached to Ephraim pretty quickly, so there was a good chance that all would be well. 

“Ephraim?”

Hyrum had shifted, poking his head out of the blankets, his ears flicking up once freed from the covers. 

“Yes, Goldenrod?”

“Who was that?”

Ephraim smiled. “That’s Josh. He’s a friend of mine. He’s married to Anna. You met her when Morticai was in town, remember?”

Hyrum nodded. “So he’s…. Like you?”

“I’m not sure I understand your question, dear.”

“He’s not going to h-hurt me? Or tell Jack?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.”

“Oh…. I just thought that humans were…..” Hyrum searched for the words for a moment before continuing with, “I thought they all knew Jack and that they’d help him.”

“No. People who would help Jack are pretty few and far between, really. The people in the village are my friends, mostly… maybe not Harry or Katrina. They’ve never really warmed up to me, but that’s alright.”

Hyrum mulled those words over carefully, his ears flicking slightly back and forth as he did so. “So…. what does Josh want then? Jack wanted to make me a weapon-” Doubtful, Ephraim thought to himself, “-And you want to keep me safe and M-Margie wants to heal people? Then what would Josh want?”

“He probably wants to take care of his family,” Ephraim replied. “You know, making sure his children grow up strong and are happy and have happy lives of their own.”

“Oh.” 

Ephraim supposed the idea would sound quite foreign to Hyrum, so he just let the werewolf process that information for a moment. 

After a few long minutes, during which Ephraim started to drift off again, Hyrum patted his chest to get his attention again. Ephraim gave it willingly, opening his eyes. 

“So… most people don’t want to make weapons, do they?” Hyrum asked. He sounded like he was coming to that conclusion himself and just wanted to make sure he was on the right track. 

“No, they don’t,” Ephraim assured him, though that seemed to leave Hyrum more confused. 

“Then, why would Jack want to make me a weapon?”

Ephraim had expected this question, though perhaps not this early. He thought it over for a moment. He could see no rhyme or reason to what Jack had done, and he certainly wasn’t trying to make any sort of weapon. Hyrum had turned up on the verge of death, for crying out loud. 

“Hyrum… I’m not sure he was trying to make you into a weapon. I really have no idea what he was doing, but I think he was just hurting you for the sake of it. I’m so sorry I don’t have an explanation, but what he did was not okay, and it was not normal, and I’m here to protect you now.”

Hyrum stared at him, and Ephraim wasn’t sure the werewolf really comprehended him. Hyrum looked down, distressed as he gently kneaded his stomach, trying to wrap his mind around it. 

“But….. Why!?”

Ephraim just held him closer while Hyrum whimpered softly, kneading his stomach harder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into Hyrum’s hair. “I’m so so sorry. It’ll be alright. I’ve got you now. He’s not going to come anywhere near you.”

Ephraim’s heart could only break as Hyrum shuddered under his arms, hiding his face in his hands.

Part 13

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps

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Clove: Part 11 - Unburied Grief

Masterlist

Part 10

Hey! Look at that! A vampire who is having a bad time!

Content: Werewolf whumpee, emotional whump, fear of going back, disassociation (?)

Vampire whumpee, laceration across the chest, curse whump, emotional whump, grief

...........................................

Hyrum didn’t know why they stopped on the hill, only that Ephraim stared at the cottage with widening eyes. He looked down at Hyrum and whispered, “Goldenrod, I need you to be very brave, okay?”

“What?” Hyrum asked, clutching his toy tighter to his chest. 

“I think there might be someone dangerous here. I need you to go hide in the village. I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

Hyrum’s mind sparked with waves of panic. “What do you mean?” he whimpered, his trembling growing stronger. 

“Just go to the village. Please,” Ephraim said, gently propelling Hyrum down the slope. “Go.”

The urgency in Ephraim’s voice raised Hyrum’s thin hackles and he nodded before turning and running back down the hill, his heartbeat in his ears. 

The rattling of his toy did not cover the sudden scream of rage, nor the horrible shrieks and hisses of an angry vampire. 

Hyrum whimpered, running faster down the hill. He screamed as he tripped, his legs feeling like jelly underneath him and he rolled down the hill, limbs searching for some way to stop himself. 

He finally came to a stop in the dirt road when he heard more nightmarish sounds from the top of the hill, and that pushed him to his feet again. 

An endless stream of whimpers fell from Hyrum’s lips. He needed to stop. He needed to find somewhere to hide, he needed to be quiet. Jack would punish him if he was too loud. He would have to kneel on silver for hours if Jack heard him whimpering. Weapons didn’t whimper. He knew that. 

But there was a quiet voice inside of him that told him he wasn’t a weapon. One that smiled with a chipped fang and pressed kisses to the top of his head. 

Just as this thought was starting to pull him from his panic, someone touched him and he scrambled to get away, yelping and crying. 

“Hey, hey,” a deep voice said soothingly. It didn’t sound like Jack but it smelled human. “It’s okay, lad. Where’s Ephraim?”

Hyrum sobbed, pushing at the firm, though gentle hand that had wrapped around his arm. He was going to be taken and put in a dark room, he knew it. He’d get so hungry he’d start eating beetles and stones again. He didn’t want beetles and stones, he wanted berries and stew and bread. He didn’t want a cold cage, he wanted impossibly soft blankets. He didn’t want punishment, he wanted soft touches and gentle hugs, and loving kisses. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t handle it. He would surely break. Every small part of him would crumble away and he would become the dust underfoot. He would shrink away to nothing. He would flee his own still breathing body. 

When Hyrum was picked up, arms around his torso to keep his arms pinned, he screamed. He had never before known anguish so terrible. Never had he imagined that his soul could hurt so badly. There had been light after so much darkness and the darkness was all the more terrible for knowing he wouldn’t see that light again. Like fate had handed him love and kindness only so he could know what it was like to lose it. 

How much more would he be forced to bear?

……………………………….

Ephraim stumbled into the village. The wound in his chest was deep and ached with each breath. It wasn’t healing like it was supposed to, and he could feel a small curse eating away at his flesh. It wouldn’t kill him, though it might leave a scar. 

Ephraim didn’t have time to think about scars, though. He had found Hyrum’s toy dropped at the bottom of the hill and picked it up, trying to find his little werewolf. 

“Goldenrod!?” Ephraim called, disregarding the fact that he was certainly waking people up. “Sweetheart, where are you!?”

“Ephraim!” 

The vampire spotted Anna stepping out of her house. When she saw the blood in the moonlight her eyes went wide and she firmly closed the door to keep her eldest from coming out and seeing it. 

“Stay inside. Everything is fine,” Anna said through the door before rushing to Ephraim, steadying him and pulling at his torn shirt to see the cut better. “Ephraim, what happened?”

Ephraim bore his teeth, a hiss escaping before he could find his voice. “There was a madman in my cottage. He was trying to take Hyrum from me.”

Anna only just managed to keep from covering her mouth as her hands were covered in Ephraim’s blood. “No! And he did this to you?”

“Yes. Have you seen Hyrum? I sent him down here to be safe.”

“I haven’t, but I did hear someone scream-” Anna admitted and Ephraim surged from out of her grasp. 

His voice broke as he called, “Hyrum!? Goldenrod!?”

Doors were opening all down the street, voices asking what was going on, but one person’s voice boomed over the rest. 

“Ephraim! He’s over here!” Guntar called. 

Ephraim practically melted with relief, stumbling over. Guntar caught him as he tripped on the first step. Ephraim felt the spell eat deeper into his chest and he coughed as it caught in his lung, gripping onto Guntar as he spasmed. 

“Anna!” Guntar said, “Get Margie.”

He helped Ephraim into the house as Anna disappeared into the darkness. 

Ephraim got his breath back, his healing pushing the curse away from his lungs where it became invested in his sternum. 

“Goldenrod. Where is he?” he asked quickly. 

“In here. I don’t think he knows where he is, poor lad.”

Ephraim pushed past Guntar, looking around wildly for the werewolf. 

He found him hiding under the well carved kitchen table. He was laying perfectly still, nothing to prove he was alive besides a faint twitch every now and then. 

Ephraim slid to his knees, pushing in to scoop the boy into his arms. Hyrum was limp, his head lolling back as Ephraim did so. The vampire pressed the boy’s head into the crook of his neck, pressing kisses all along the side of his head. 

“Goldenrod, I’m here. It’s okay, I’m here. Please, you’re okay, please, come back sweetheart.”

Hyrum twitched, his breath catching in his chest. He whined, high pitched and scared. 

Ephraim did nothing to stop his tears from running down his face, soaking into Hyrum’s golden hair. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I-”

Ephraim choked on his emotions, sobbing in rhythm with the curse throbbing in his chest. He wanted to apologize for the terror Hyrum lived with every day, he wanted to apologize for not killing the man who had done this, he wanted to apologize to a fledgling who wasn’t here, who he hadn’t seen for just over 40 years. None of this would do either of them any good, so he cried into Hyrum’s hair while the werewolf fell asleep in his arms. 

“Alright, what’s all the fuss about?” a crotchety old voice asked. “Ephraim, I really hope you don’t mean for me to go under there to treat you.”

Ephraim tried to slow his sobs, but only managed to make them wretched little hitching things. 

“Oh,” Margie said, a softness entering her grizzled tones. “Ah, Guntar, could you help Ephraim out?”

“Yeah. I’m going to pull you out now, Ephraim.”

Guntar’s large hands pulled him and Hyrum out before the butcher gently coaxed Hyrum out of Ephraim’s arms. 

“I’ll put him in bed,” Guntar promised as Ephraim gathered himself to pull himself up into a chair. 

Margie pulled back his shirt, eyeing the wound and the curse that was starting to play across Ephraim’s ribs. She muttered something and the chewing pain that had been crawling through his chest faded as she stifled and put out the curse. 

Ephraim took a shuddering breath, moving to look at the wound in his chest and see how bad it was when Margie’s weathered hands cupped his face. He looked into the old crone’s eyes, unchanged from the beautiful woman she had been 50 years ago. 

“Ephraim,” she said softly. “What happened?”

Ephraim stared for a moment, captivated before he found his voice. “There was a man in my home. The one who……”

“I see,” Margie said, reaching for a rag to clean out Ephraim’s wound and see if it was healing. “He was there to take Hyrum, hmmm?”

“Yes,” Ephraim breathed. “I was going to kill him.”

Margie hesitated. “And you didn’t?”

Ephraim’s eyes burned as he looked away. “He.. ah, he said he knew where Ben was.”

Margie froze at the mention of her older brother, eyes wide for a moment before she narrowed them again, cleaning Ephraim’s wound a touch more fiercely. The softness in her voice was gone as she said, “Ben is dead. You said so yourself. You couldn’t sense him through the bond. That means he’s dead.”

“No. It means one of two things. He’s dead, or-”

“You don’t seriously believe in the fae courts, do you?” she replied harshly. 

“I’ve met the fae. Just because they haven’t been seen for a long time, doesn’t mean they’re all gone. The man said that Ben had been taken by the queen.”

Margie gritted her teeth. “Then Ben’s as good as dead. We can’t get him back, even if there was such a thing as a fae court. You should have just killed the fool.”

Hurt, Ephraim looked away, towards the room Gunter had taken Hyrum. “I’m sorry, Marigold.”

Margie ignored him, and finished looking at the wound. She rubbed some balm in and patted his chest. “Go sleep,” she said. “I’ll check your cottage in the morning. If that man could cast that sort of curse on you with just a cut, I can imagine he left some rather nasty traps for you.”

Ephraim nodded, standing up. He opened his mouth to thank her, but she was already gone, refusing to meet his eyes. He stood in Gustav’s house, exhausted and drained, and he let his clenched fists relax as he turned. 

Gustav was still in the bedroom with Hyrum. He was running his hand over Hyrum’s back over the blankets. He looked up when Ephraim entered and whispered, “Before you say anything, you can stay here for the night.”

“Thank you, Gustav.”

“Do you need something to eat before you go to bed?”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Ephraim said with a weak smile.

Gustav stood up and Hyrum whimpered at the loss of contact. “I’ll bring the blood to you. Why don’t you stay with him?”

Ephraim nodded and sat in the chair, putting his hand on Hyrum’s head. The new hair and fur starting to grow in were already so much softer than the rest of it, and Hyrum seemed to enjoy it the most when Ephraim wiggled his fingers into his curls to find the softest of it. 

Hyrum’s small, crooked, questing hand reached out and grabbed at Ephraim’s arm, following it back to his shirt before weakly tugging. 

Ephraim leaned forward, but Hyrum didn’t stop pulling until Ephraim realized what the boy wanted. 

Ephraim sighed and slid into the bed, pulling the covers over both of them. Hyrum curled up against his chest, and Ephraim could feel the tiny tremors that vibrated through Hyrum’s body. 

Ephraim held the boy close, running and hand down his back silently. 

Gunter came back with a cup of blood, which Ephraim drank quickly before curling back up and closing his eyes, listening to Gunter leave and get settled again before falling asleep. 

………………………………..

“You shouldn’t go up there alone, Margie,” Anna said. She had come by in the morning with her youngest to pick up something for a cough he’d picked up to find the old woman preparing to go up the hill to the cottage. 

“I may be old, but I can take care of myself,” Margie replied. She was rather testy that morning. More so than usual though Anna wasn’t easily scared off. 

“I’ll have Josh go up with you.”

“I don’t need your husband to-”

“Margie, you are taking someone with you,” Anna said sternly, and Margie glowered at her, trying to decide if it was worth the energy to keep arguing with the determined mother. 

“Oh all right,” Margie sighed and Anna nodded firmly. “Now, you’d better not go up alone.”

Margie grumbled as Anna gathered up her youngest and headed back out, leaving Margie to finish packing her bag with the things she would need to take care of any curses or traps she found. She hoped there was nothing too surprising up there. While she had a lot of practice with countering curses or even casting them, she was self taught and she knew there was a lot she still did not understand about magic. 

He left her house, taking her cane with her. She usually didn’t use her cane, but she had woken up with aching knees and there was no way she would be climbing up that hill without it. 

She walked through the main street of the village, passing by the shops and homes and making it out to where the dirt road thinned out. She was halfway up the hill before she heard someone jogging to catch up behind her. 

She smiled to herself and called out, “Slow this morning, aren’t we, Josh?”

Josh snorted as he caught up. “Only because Kate was throwing a tantrum. So, what’s the story? I know there was someone here who attacked Ephraim last night.”

“Indeed, and he’s a nasty piece of work. Throws curses wherever he goes, it seems. I’m here to try and clean up any traps or curses he may have left behind. Ephraim has enough going on without needing to worry about that too.”

Josh nodded. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Oh, yes. Trust me, I’ll put you to work.”

Josh smiled and looked up at the cottage. The door was open, a little askew on broken hinges, the inside yawning darkly at them. It felt so wrong to look into that friendly cottage and feel a strange prickle of fear on the palms of his hands. 

Margie sighed. “Yup. Lots of work to do.”

Part 12

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs

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Clove: Part 10 - Encounters

Masterlist

Part 9

With this one part, I have tripled the length of this story. We love.

Content: Werewolf whumpee, vampire caretaker, human whumper, social anxiety, mentions of the long term affects of Hyrum's abuse, cut across the chest

..........................................

Hyrum dashed around the side of the cart and pressed his back against the wood, knees shaking. He slid down to sit against one of the wheels, glad to be out of sight. He tipped the bird back and forth, imagining it flying, the ball rolling inside softly. He shook it and smiled at the soft rattle. 

The sound of voices faded out of his mind as he stared at the bird. He could…. He could almost imagine painted lines on the bird, little spots speckling its wings. He wondered if there was a way to draw those lines on the wooden wings himself. He could see it so clearly in his mind. 

He rocked the bird gently back and forth, murmuring to himself unintelligibly. 

Hyrum was enveloped in a strange, though familiar scent and he looked up to see 4 werewolves, two in human form, the other two in wolf form. He shot back up to his feet with a small yelp, stumbling as he did so, back pressed to the cart as his bird fell from his hands to the dirt by his feet. 

The two in wolf form pressed forward, sniffing at his face and he closed his eyes, turning his head away from them. They were huge even in their wolf form, taller than him at the shoulder. His wolf form was nothing like that. It was tiny and fragile. 

“What’s your deal?” one of the werewolves asked. 

Hyrum opened his eyes to see the one with grey hair staring at him, arms folded. The two in wolfs form transformed back to their human forms, staring at him as well. 

They were waiting for him to answer and he slowly shrugged. The four of them were very different colors from him. All in grey or black tones. 

He tucked his tail against his leg, tilting his head up in submission, baring his throat. 

He could feel their eyes on him and he could smell their confusion. 

“Lionel,” the oldest said, “Go get mum.”

Hyrum didn’t know what a mum was, but he really didn’t want to find out, he cracked an eye open nervously and, as one of the younger wolves took off distracting the others, he crumpled to the dirt and rolled under the cart, unconsciously transforming into a wolf to hide and defend himself if needed. 

The wolves all barked in surprise and the three left behind transformed to crouch down and see where he went. He growled lowly, eyes flicking to his bird toy on the ground. He didn’t dare dash forward and grab it. That would put him in range of their teeth. 

He whined, eyes pinned back. 

“Goldenrod! Sweetheart, we’re leaving!” Ephraim called. 

Hyrum gave one last longing look at his toy and then turned and left the cart on the other side, taking human form again and burying himself under Ephraim’s arm. 

“Woah,” Ephraim said, a bit startled. “Let’s get you home then.”

Hyrum just nodded, tears in his eyes as they went back up to the cottage. Ephraim asked him some questions, but Hyrum didn’t answer, just willing one foot in front of the other until he could collapse and curl up in bed. 

……………………………………

Something was wrong with Hyrum and Ephraim didn’t know what it was. His little wolf just drooped on the couch, staring at the window and only vaguely listening to what Ephaim had to say. Ephraim had, at first, been worried that his stories were annoying Hyrum, but there was something else. He wasn’t very excited about dinner the next day and he didn’t even ask for a bath like he usually did each morning. Had something happened when they were down in the village? Ephraim thought it had just been social anxiety that colored him with fear, but maybe there was something else. 

It was as Ephraim was coming back from delivering a small present to Mr. Herring that he remembered the wooden bird he’d bought for Ephraim. Most notably was the fact that he didn’t remember Hyrum having it when they left the village to go to bed. 

Ephraim made his way up to his cottage and opened his door, sliding off his boots and stepping inside. He put down the wrapped lamb chops Mr. Herring had given him to use and went to Hyrum’s room. The door was closed and Ephraim could smell sadness and loneliness even through the door. 

He knocked gently and called, “Hyrum? Can I come in?”

Hyrum sighed loudly, and Ephraim took that as a yes and opened the door. 

The werewolf was curled up in his wolf form on the bed. 

Ephraim came to sit next to him, gently reaching over and stroking his head. Hyrum leaned into it, like he always did, and Ephraim stroked down his shoulder and along his back to make sure the mange was clearing up like it was supposed to. 

“Hey sweetheart,” Ephraim said very softly. “You alright?”

The werewolf huffed. 

“Is…. is it something to do with the bird?”

Hyrum transformed back to his human form, his head coming up so fast and it nearly startled Ephraim off the bed. Hyrum’s eyes were wide and full of unshed tears. 

“What’s wrong?” Ephraim asked, gathering the boy up in his arms. Not unlike another boy he’d held so long ago. 

Hyrum pressed his face into Ephraim’s chest and just wailed. Ephraim held him there and rocked him slowly back and forth until Hyrum stirred to look up at him. Ephraim waited and the werewolf, with tears streaming down his face, said, “I can’t do it. I’m sorry, I can’t do it!”

“Do what, sweetheart?”

“I can’t be your weapon,” he sobbed, hiding his face again. “I’m too s-scared!”

Ephraim crooned, a sound that would have had a vampire fledgling limp in his arms in moments, but the werewolf just kept crying. 

“Hyrum, Goldenrod, listen to me. Can you hear me?”

Hyrum, still trembling and hiccuping with sobs, looked up to meet Ephraim’s eyes. 

“I don’t need you to be my weapon. You’re my Goldenrod, and that’s even better than a weapon ever could be, okay?”

“I… I don’t understand,” Hyrum said, sounding defeated. 

“You don’t have to be brave, you don’t have to fight for me, you don’t have to do any of that. I am going to take care of you, and you can decide what you want to be later. You are not my weapon. You’re my Goldenrod.”

Hyrum pressed his face into Ephraim’s chest again and just stayed there, trembling. Ephraim let him stay, looking over the details of the room. Maybe he and Hyrum should decorate, make it feel more like Hyrum’s own home. Ephraim would need to clear out the rest of the boxes he’d had in here as storage before Hyrum got here, and then maybe they could decorate it with little banners. Ephraim would have to make a quilt for him and maybe get a proper photograph. He’d seen one the last time he’d been to the cities and it would be nice to have one, even if it was expensive and took ages. 

Hyrum seemed to calm down, his shivering toning down to the general vibrations his damaged body could never really escape. 

“What caused this, sweetheart?” Ephraim asked. “Did someone take your bird when I wasn’t looking?”

Hyrum’s shoulders rose and fell quickly. “They were wolves. I got scared and dropped it.”

“Oh, that’s easily dealt with. I’ll go over and see if they know where it went, okay? Will you be okay if I leave you here?”

Hyrum shook his head against Ephraim’s chest. 

“Okay. Up we go.”

He draped Hyrum’s arms over his shoulders and held him close easily as he walked to the living room. He set Hyrum on the couch and slipped on his boots and grabbed his coat. He slid Hyrum’s cloak around the werewolf’s shoulders and held out a hand for him. 

Hyrum took it and Ephraim waved his hand, using what vague abilities he had to blow out the candles in the house before closing the door behind them. 

“You probably met the Blackwell family,” Ephraim said, carefully leading Hyrum down the hill. “They’re a rowdy lot, but good enough people.”

Hyrum nodded and, after walking around the edge of town, they came to a house on the edge of the woods. Ephraim didn’t even get to knock on the door as it opened and a large woman stood looking down at them. 

Hyrum wilted into Ephraim’s side, tail tucked between his legs, but, unphased as ever, Ephraim smiled. 

“Hello, Tory. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, “Depends on what you’re here for, vamp.”

“My Hyrum here got startled by your children the other day and I think he may have dropped a toy and left it behind. It’s a wooden bird. Rattles when you shake it.”

She huffed and turned back into the house. After a few minutes, one of the darker colored wolf children came to the door, the bird in hand and Ephraim felt Hyrum shift against his side, ears pitched forward when he saw it.”

“Sorry, I wanted it,” she said, holding it out. 

Ephraim glanced down at Hyrum, who hesitantly reached out and took the toy. 

He nodded quietly and pressed up against Ephraim again. 

“Sorry about that,” Tory said, putting her hands down on her daughter’s shoulders. “She’s been nicking things here and there. Hard to stay on top of it.”

“I completely understand,” Ephraim said, inclining his head. “I’ll get out of your hair now. Thank you.”

He turned to leave when Tory huffed and said, “Are you sure you should be taking care of the pup, there, Vamp?”

Ephraim turned back. “I think so,” he said with a smile. 

“He should be with a pack,” she replied, folding her arms. 

Ephraim felt Hyrum tremble at his side and he looked down at Hyrum, who’s wide begging eyes let him know all he needed without Hyrum having to say anything. 

“No, I’m afraid he’s not ready for it now,” Ephraim replied. “Thank you for asking though.”

She hummed, sounding annoyed and closed the door before Ephraim could wish her good night. 

“She, uh, she didn’t seem very nice,” Hyrum muttered. 

“Oh, she’s fine. There’s…. Well, there’s been a long history of fighting between Vampires and werewolves and it’s still kind of going on from what I understand. I haven’t been a part of it for 7 generations now, but she’s not from around here so I think she had to actually deal with it… it doesn’t really matter, sweetheart. Do you want a bath when we get home.”

“Yes, please.”

………………………………….

Jack couldn’t believe his weapon failed. Not exactly failed. He had sent his werewolf to find a vampire, and he was meant to run into Jack’s friend, who would have had a small meal off the boy and then Jack could say he’d saved the boy’s life. He had been seeing a look in the werewolf’s eyes, like he was starting to doubt what Jack told him, and this was supposed to reinforce Jack’s hold over him, but instead the boy had blundered off in the wrong direction and stumbled into… him. 

Jack stared at the cottage on the hill, hands clenched hard enough that his nails were stabbing into his palms. He needed that wolf back now before the sentimental fool ruined years of effort. 

He walked out across the wild grasses, spellbook in hand as he threw open the cottage door hard enough wood splintered. He stepped in, ready to cast spells at whatever came at him. 

“Ephraim! I know you’re in here! Tell me where the boy is and I’ll-” he stopped as the life search spell turned up as empty. 

With a growl Jack turned, snarling and snapping to himself. He closed the door and stalked deeper into the cottage. He would wait for them, then. He set up magical traps in the front room, glancing out the window angrily. He waited and waited, and finally he saw two figures come up the hill through the window. He smiled when the taller of the two slowed down. 

He looked down at what had to be Jack’s wolf. The stupid thing was clinging to Ephraim’s side, but after a moment, the small creature went running back down the hill. 

Jack shrieked in anger, opening the door and running to try and catch him, but a dark shape plowed into him. Jack fought and struggled, reaching out to try and find his spell book, but Ephraim soon had him pinned against the ground, broken fang showing in a snarl. 

“Who are you?” he hissed. 

Jack laughed, sounding strange to himself as his head was pointed down the hill and blood was beginning to rush to his head. “You have something of mine.”

The vampire froze, and then his powerful fingers dug into Jack’s flesh and the warlock yelped. 

“You,” Ephraim said darkly. “You, foolish, evil freak of nature.” 

He slammed Jack into the ground and it took him a moment to catch his breath.”Look who’s calling the kettle black,” he choked out. 

Ephraim hissed, his fingers going to Jack’s throat and the sorcerer realized that the most sentimental and gentle of all of the vampires was about to kill him. 

“Wait!” he yelped as Ephraim’s fingers touched his throat. “Don’t you want to know where Ben is!?”

Ephraim froze, confusion flashing in his glowing eyes. “Ben? Ben is dead.”

“No! He’s in the Fae courts! The Queen has him! I can take you there!”

Ephraim struggled to comprehend what the sorcerer was saying, but that gave Jack just enough time to locate his silver stake in the ground not that far away. 

He shouted the spell that would activate and it came flying across the grass. 

Jack caught it and slashed at Ephraim, who fell back with a cry of pain and blood dripping across his chest, but Jack did not stay to finish him off. He picked up his book and ran for his life back to the forest to hide. 

He wouldn’t get his wolf back today, but he would soon enough.

Part 11

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump

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Clove: Part 9 - Traveling Merchant

Masterlist

Part 8

THE BOYS HAVE RETURNED!!! This is a pretty soft snippet today. I love pampering Hyrum.

Content: Cronic pain issues, healing, social anxiety

Pretty soft one today for sure. Let me know if you want to be on the tag list

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Hyrum’s tail thumped against the table as he leaned against the back of the kitchen chair, on his knees as he watched Ephraim cut up vegetables and put them in the pot that bubbled on the stove. Ephraim kept glancing back at him, eyes glimmering with amusement. 

Hyrum liked to watch Ephraim cook. He liked having porridge and berries for breakfast still, and he usually traded between sandwiches and bread pudding for lunch, but dinner was a special affair. Ephraim made something new every night for Hyrum to try, and tonight he was making something called stew. He’d put chunks of meat in it and everything, and Hyrum was doing his best not to drool on the floor, his tail thumping against the table even harder. 

He shifted down onto the chair a bit more, despite the excitement egging him on to watch closer as Ephraim stirred everything together in the pot. His legs were beginning to ache deep down from the pressure so he needed to move to try and get them to feel better. 

“I should be done soon,” Ephraim said, turning to Hyrum with a broad smile that sent curls of joy through his chest. “Do you want some bread while you wait?”

Hyrum shook his head. He didn’t want to spoil his appetite. The stew smelled so wonderful he wanted to be able to eat as much of it as he could. 

Ephraim ran a hand through Hyrum’s hair and the werewolf leaned into it. His hair was smoother and shinier now, waves beginning to form in it as it grew healthy again. 

“How about we go work on that quilt, hmm?” Ephraim suggested. “Time will go faster than waiting in here for it to be done.”

Hyrum nodded and padded along after Ephraim, heading to the craft room where the quilt was set up. Ephraim picked up a needle from where it had been sitting on the fabric, already strung with yarn and started sending it in and out of the chalked in dots, tying knots at each one before moving on. 

Hyrum went to his side where his needle was. He hadn’t gotten as far as Ephraim had as his fingers weren’t as good as Ephraim’s. The vampire had promised Hyrum that his fingers would heal eventually, but it was really annoying while he had to wait.

Still, he did notice an improvement as he poked the needle down through, and then up again, using his other hand to make sure that the yarn didn’t knot up underneath. 

“Goldenrod.”

Hyrum looked up expectantly, his tail swishing back and forth behind himself still. 

Ephraim smiled and said, “After dinner I’m planning on going down to the village. The traveling merchant should be here by now so we can see if they have some things for you. Do you want to come with me and help me pick out your clothes?”

“Really?” Hyrum asked. He nearly shouted out his agreement when it struck him that they would be going down into the village. His tail slowly came to a stop and he looked down, fidgeting with the yarn. “Is it safe?”

“Oh yes. It’s very safe. There are some other wolves down in the village too. They might want to introduce themselves… would you be up for that?”

Hyrum bit his lip. He wasn’t sure about going down to the village. It sounded dangerous. Jack had always drilled it into his head that if anyone saw Hyrum, they would try and kill him, but… Ephraim told the truth more often than not as far as Hyrum could tell. He was even right in how to make a weapon stronger, despite the way Jack proclaimed himself to be the best weapon maker in the kingdom. 

And if Hyrum was going to be Ephraim’s weapon, then he certainly could be strong enough to go down to the village with him!

“I want to go,” Hyrum said with a determined nod, going back to sewing. 

“Alright. And if you change your mind, let me know. I know it’s almost bedtime so I don’t want to make you do too much if you’re tired.”

Hyrum smiled to himself. He had been feeling less and less tired as of late, and he was sure he could handle a walk down to the village. He tried not to think about how there would be people who would want to talk to him though. How was he supposed to address them? Would they want him to talk to them, or would they just want to look at him like some of Jack’s friends did. That was the only bad thing about living with Ephraim. Things were so unpredictable and Hyrum didn’t know how to handle half of it, but Ephraim was patient with him and explained things until he understood, so he wasn’t too worried. 

An unbidden thought popped into his mind that surprised him enough he stopped sewing again. I suppose I could just ask him. 

Hyrum pondered over the thought and realized it was true. He was confused about something, he didn’t know how he would handle a situation that he knew was coming, and he could easily ask Ephraim about it before the vampire eventually noticed he was confused and explained it for him anyways. All he had to do was ask, and Ephraim practically beamed everytime Hyrum asked him a question. 

Hyrum opened his mouth to do just that when Ephraim lifted his nose, closing his eyes. Hyrum did so as well, curious and opened them again to see Ephraim leaving the room. “Dinner’s ready, sweetheart.”

Hyrum followed quickly, the question blown out of his mind over the thought of food. He sat down as Ephraim ladled some stew into a bowl for him. 

“Be careful,” Ephraim warned. “It’s hot.”

“Oh,” Hyrum said, picking up his spoon. He lifted a chunk of meat out and touched it to his lips. It was hot so he backed off, licking his lips. The flavor of the residue was heavenly, though, and it took all of the werewolf’s self control to not just take the burning cube into his mouth. 

Ephraim smiled and spooned some food up for himself, blowing on it for a moment before eating it. 

Delighted for an answer, Hyrum blew on his like Ephraim did, carefully. He waited a moment, blew on it one more time for good measure which got a little chuckle out of Ephraim, and then put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes as the meat pretty much melted in his mouth, and his tail thumped heavily against the chair again as he savored it. 

Ephraim was done before Hyrum was as the werewolf made sure that each bite wouldn’t burn him before standing up and putting his bowl in the kitchen basin. 

“Alright,” Ephraim said, walking over to the door where he put on his gardening boots. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Hyrum said, coming to stand by him. 

Ephraim grabbed his sun hat and they stepped outside. It was late morning now, nearly bedtime for the vampire and werewolf, despite the pull Hyrum had to stay up and run around. He was glad for the chance to go with Ephraim outside. The sun soaked into the overlarge garments Hyrum was wearing, and he twisted the fabric to pull it closer against his skin, enjoying the warmth. 

As they got to the steepest part of the hill, Hyrum was having a hard time staying steady on his feet. His legs, despite feeling much better, still always ached and the fact that he couldn’t feel the bottoms of his feet made it difficult for him to stay balanced on inclined slopes. 

Ephraim slowed down and held out a hand for Hyrum, and the werewolf took it with both of his as he stumbled. 

Ephraim walked slowly with Hyrum, keeping him steady as they went. Halfway down the hill, Hyrum looked up from his feet to the little village sprawled below and remembered the question he was going to ask. 

“Erm… Ephraim?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“What, um, what do I do if people talk to me?”

Ephraim looked down at him, a little surprised, but his smile came back just like it always did. 

“Right, sorry. I should have, ah. Well, when someone sees you they’re likely to ask you your name.”

“And I tell them?”

“Yeah, if you want,” Ephraim said. 

“Can I tell them my name is Goldenrod?” he asked eagerly. 

Ephraim smiled. “Sure. You can definitely tell them that. And then they might ask you about your day and you can tell them. If you get tired I’ll let them know, okay? If you're overwhelmed, I’ll jump in.”

“Okay,” Hyrum said, relaxing a little.

“And if the werewolves come over,” Ephraim continued, which made Hyrum tense up again, sensing this was going to be a little more complicated. “They’ll probably want to smell you first and you can smell them back. They’ll be really excited to meet you so they might be a bit much, but I’ll try and let them know to calm down, okay?”

“Okay,” Hyrum replied and Ephraim smiled.

“I’m actually pretty excited about this. The villagers have been asking about you. I told them a little about what happened and they have actually been a huge help getting me some extra food for you,” Ephraim said as they reached the bottom of the hill where the path went from tramped down grass to dirt. “They’ll love you.”

Hyrum puffed up under Ephraim’s arm, warm and happy as they made their way past the first building. 

There were people gathered around a large cart with two huge animals hooked up to the front of it, stamping hard feet and throwing back huge heads with long manes. 

“What are those?” Hyrum asked, trying not to imagine how much it would hurt to have one of them stomp his toes. 

“Those are horses. They’re pretty friendly, but try not to stand behind them. They can kick when they get frightened,” Ephraim said soothingly, though that didn’t make Hyrum feel all that much better. 

As they approached the cart, people turned and Hyrum did not miss the way their eyes lit up when they saw him.

“Hi, Ephraim!” one woman with three children said as she walked over to greet them and Ephraim took her hand in his free one with a huge smile. 

“Good morning, Anna,” he said warmly. Hyrum pressed himself against Ephraim’s side as much as he could as the three children stared at him, sizing him up. 

The smallest boldly took a step forward and opened her mouth, but Anna cut her off by stooping down and picking her up, making her giggle. 

“Are you here to get something for Hyrum?” she asked, having successfully distracted her youngest, though the other two kept staring at Hyrum. The werewolf wished he could have known this was a possibility. He didn’t like just being stared at. 

Ephraim stepped sideways a little, gracefully hiding the fact that he stumbled because of how hard Hyrum was pressed to his side. “Yup, we certainly are. It’s good to see you.”

“And you,” Anna said with a nod, shooing her children off towards one of the houses. “Have fun, Hyrum.”

The werewolf nodded a little, and Ephraim led him farther down the road towards the cart. 

“Oh!” a deep voice said, surprised as Ephraim stepped up to stand behind a small line of people at the cart. 

A large man had turned around and looked down at Hyrum. Hyrum had never felt smaller as the huge man smiled at him. He was taller and broader than Ephraim, but he had a friendly enough smile, a bit like Ephraim’s. 

“Hello, little one. What’s your name?” the man asked, making his deep voice softer. 

“G-Goldenrod,” Hyrum said, glad to be hiding under Ephraim’s arm. 

“Oh, like the flower? That’s very nice,” he said warmly. “I’m Guntar. I’m the butcher. I sell Ephraim here his blood.”

Hyrum looked up at Ephraim and he nodded. “Yes he does, like his father before him.”

Guntar smiled. “Are you excited to look at what’s on the cart?”

Hyrum thought about it for a moment. He shrugged and Guntar chuckled. “There are some pretty cool things on it this time, from what I hear. Old Morticai’s outdone himself if the toys the wolf boys were carrying off were anything to go by.”

“Hmmm, I hadn’t thought of that,” Ephraim said, mostly to himself. “Goldenrod, would you like a toy? Something to play with?”

Hyrum had no idea what he was talking about, so he just shrugged. 

“Well, we’ll have a look when we get to the cart, then.”

Hyrum nodded, still tucked under Ephraim’s arm as they made their way through the line. 

Ephraim was glad to get to the front and Morticai grinned. “Ephraim! My favorite customer! And who’s this?”

Ephraim looked down at Hyrum who seemed to be rather done with meeting people so Ephraim said, “This is Goldenrod. I’m actually here to buy him some clothes, and perhaps a toy or two. He’s, ah, he’s had a rough go of it so far.”

Morticai’s flamboyant mustache drooped. “Yes, yes I can see that. Let’s see if we can get that squared away then!”

Moticai worked fast, knowing his merchandise well, and soon, they had two sets of trews and two tunics, both sets a bit big for the werewolf in anticipation for him growing out a bit. Ephraim was planning on getting up early to talk to some of the empty nesters and see if they had some clothes he could borrow from them as well, just in case. If Hyrum grew into being a werewolf a bit more, he’d need more clothes as he ran these into rags.

“Now, as for toys,” Morticai said, pawing through a crate. “Mmm, what do we think about this?”

He passed Ephraim a wooden bird with some gaps in the wood. A quick shake made a marble inside rattle around. Ephraim saw Hyrum’s ears prick up and he gave the werewolf the toy to look at. 

“Works for me. Thank you.”

“Oh, of course. And did you want to have a look at the blubs I brought.”

“Oh, if I must,” Ephraim said, delighted. Could Hyrum go around to the other side of your cart while I look?”

“Of course!”

Hyrum gratefully took the opportunity to run around the cart and hide from everyone in line. 

“Now, I have some more tulip bulbs-”

“Oh, goodness no, I have plenty. Say, did you have any peonies?” 

“I do! And some beautiful puzzles that I know you’d like to have a look at here.”

Ephraim delightedly went through the goods, distracted by them and Morticai’s tales of the cities that he didn’t hear Hyrum’s small gasp of fear and the small sound of a marble rattling around in wood. 

Part 10

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump

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Clove: Teeth #7

Masterlist

Part 6

Content/warnings: Pretty soft one, TBH. Werewolf whumpee, vampire caretaker, witch caretaker, checking the wounds, testing boundaries

This one is short and kind of just a filler. Let me tell you, the next one is gonna knock your socks off.

...........................................

When Ephraim had heard Hyrum shriek out his name, he had expected the boy to be bleeding out on the floor, or maybe he’d broken his fingers, or anything other than what he did find. He had leaped heroically through the window only to find Margie trying to undo the shirt buttons on an increasingly frantic werewolf. Ephraim easily got between them, gentle in his movement. Margie was no longer as young as she once was and Hyrum was just fragile in general.

“Margie,” Ephraim said softly as Hyrum scrambled farther onto the bed and dove under the covers to hide, a little quivering lump proving where he was. “Did you even introduce yourself to him before you started trying to look at his wounds?”

Margie frowned. “Well, no.”

“And does he have any experience with old witches as healer,” Ephraim said, his lips forming into a bit of a teasing smile. 

Marcgie huffed at him. “No.”

“Mmmhmmm.” He looked over at the blankets and gave a small sigh, running his hands through his hair. This was going to be interesting.

…………………………..

Hyrum was a stupid stupid weak wolf. He was hiding under his blankets from a woman that Ephraim obviously trusted and had called a healer. First, he hadn’t been able to fight her off like a proper weapon should have been able to, and now he was hiding away, afraid of the punishment that would surely come with hiding from a woman Ephraim had brought in to help Hyrum.

The boy whimpered as Ephraim sat on the edge of the bed and flinched slightly when he felt Ephraim’s hand on his back through the blankets.

“Hey, Goldenrod,” the vampire said kindly. “Are you okay?”

Hyrum snorted, despite his fear. It was unbelievable that Ephraim would be asking him that when he was surely going to punish him. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so unbelievable. Ephraim had been quite kind to him so far. 

“Hyrum?”

The wolf slowly turned around and poked his head out, his hair a mess across his face and standing up with the static he’d built up under the sheets.

Ephraim grinned, apparently delighted by seeing Hyrum. 

“Alright, then,” Ephraim said, gently stroking Hyrum’s head to pull the static out of his hair and fur. “Could you sit by me and let Margie look at your wounds, please?”

Hyrum slowly nodded, pulling himself the rest of the way out of the blankets and sitting down next to Ephraim. Margie had a sort of a frown on her face, but Hyrum was starting to get the feeling that she wasn’t really all that upset with him, and that maybe her face was just stuck like that.

Ephraim smiled and Hyrum slowly undid his buttons, his fingers not quite articulated enough to get them undone easily. He does get it off eventually, and unconsciously shivered, despite being warm and sitting on a bed with blankets, still feeling the effects of the sun he soaked up while outside. 

Ephraim held out a hand to stop Margie from approaching, who huffed in annoyance. 

“Margie is just a bit gruff,” Ephraim said gently, his voice calming Hyrum down. “She’s still worried about you, though. Is it alright if she takes a look at your wounds and rubs some creams into some of them.”

Hyrum didn’t know why Ephraim was asking Hyrum. It wasn’t like his opinion mattered anyways, but he still paused for a moment to consider his own opinion. Sure, Margie was scary, but Ephriam trusted her. So, with that, Hyrum nodded and Ephraim smiled. 

“Alright, you can have a look now, Marigold.”

Margie huffed and shuffled over, her cool, wrinkled fingers touching very gently around his wounds, squeezing some of them to make sure there wasn’t any puss buildup inside. It hurt, but Hyrum closed his eyes and took soothing breaths, proud of himself as he managed to handle all of it in silence. 

Margie grunted and started prodding at the rash along his lower back that he’d had for as long as he could remember. She hummed. “Yeah, shouldn’t be too hard to deal with. I have some poultices I use on pups who are prone to this kind of thing.”

“Thank you, Marigold,” Ephraim said warmly, leaning forward to press a kiss into her wiry hair. She batted him off, as Hyrum looked down at his fingers, looking at the tiny ridges and bumps in each of them and listening to Ephraim and Margie talk. He allowed himself the smallest of smiles, despite the goosebumps that had formed on his bare skin. 

Ephraim laughed at another one of Margie’s complaints and pulled a blanket around Hyrum, tucking it around the werewolf so he was only visible from the nose up. He stared at Ephraim startled, and the vampire gave him a full smile. It was the first time Hyrum really looked at Ephraim when he smiled, seeing more than just his own confusion over how kind they were. Ephraim’s right fang was chipped halfway down, the other a bit dull as if it hadn’t been truly used in a while and it hit Hyrum that, though he had been this vampire’s weapon for days now, never once did he feel in danger of being bitten. Even with Ephraim’s teeth fully on display, he didn’t feel scared.

Hyrum ran his tongue over his own teeth, wondering if Ephraim ever doubted if his disobedient weapon would ever bite him.

And for the first time in his life, Hyrum felt safe enough to toy with the thought of biting his master, just to see what the vampire would do. After all, Ephraim hadn’t punished him for anything so far. Hyrum was sure that wouldn’t last, but the tension of waiting for Ephraim to strike was starting to build and Hyrum wasn’t sure how long he would be able to hold out. The waiting before a punishment was always the worst part. 

Almost without thinking, he had his mouth out of the blankets and Ephraim’s wrist in his mouth where he’d snatched it as Ephraim was waving it to explain a story, not quite biting down, but threatening it with nervousness in his stomach. He had to know.

………………………

“And then Josh came up to me with a barrel of wine and said, ‘This is for the help with the lambs, by the way.’ I mean, it had to be this big!” Ephraim said, arms going out. He took a breath to continue, but was cut off by a peculiar sensation in his wrist. He looked over to find his wrist in Hyrum’s mouth and he stared at the werewolf for a moment, whose arms were moving under the blankets like he was anxiously kneading at his stomach like he did when he was really worried. He’d been doing it out in the sun when he thought he was being punished. 

Ephraim stared for a moment, utterly at a loss for words. Margie held her breath as Ephraim finally asked, “Hyrum, my sweet child, what are you doing?”

Confusion flashed through Hyrum’s eyes and that only served to add onto Ephraim’s own. Hyrum tightened his jaws, a strange sort of desperation there, though it was a clear look which ruled out fever or flashbacks. 

Ephraim tilted his head as he felt the muscles in Hyrum’s jaw shake and tense a little. “Hyrum, I’m confused.”

Hyrum blinked, recognizing the phrase from before and Ephraim was glad that it seemed to relax the boy a little.

Margie cackled quietly and left the room to let them deal with whatever Hyrum had going on in his head. She was never one to put up with emotions for too long. 

“Would you mind explaining what’s going through your mind to me?”

Hyrum ever so slowly opened his mouth and let Ephraim pull his wrist out. Hyrum licked his lips nervously to clean up the spots of drool that had formed there and took a small breath. “I….. um….” He hesitated, frowning as he tried to figure out how to explain.

“I was…. Being bad.” He glanced up at Ephraim to gauge his reaction. Ephraim stayed quiet to allow the boy to explain at his own pace. Hyrum finally nodded to himself and said, “I haven’t been punished for being bad, yet, and….. I wanted to know….. How you would handle punishing me.”

Ephraim felt alarms going through his head, but was glad he could sort this out. “Well….. I’ll only punish you for things that are really bad. Like if you go out of your way to hurt me, Margie, or any of the villagers down the hill, or if you do purposeful damage to any property. But you don’t seem like the type to hurt anyone on purpose.”

Hyrum blinked. “I don’t?”

“Not really. You really are a sweet pup.”

Hyrum’s eyes started to water and he looked down at his hand, wiping his eyes like he was surprised to find tears there. 

Ephraim pulled him closer and held him there, rocking him back and forth. “I know…. Life has been so hard on you. I’ll protect you now. You’re mine, now.”

Hyrum nodded absentmindedly in Ephraim’s shirt. 

………………

Hyrum laid in bed after Ephraim had left to go check on Margie. The werewolf still couldn’t believe his luck. He has an owner who would feed him, hug him, take care of his wounds, and would only punish him if he hurt someone on purpose without an order. It was nice to know he could just rest and every time the voice in his head told him that he would somehow mess up and Ephraim would punish him, he just ignored it. Even if Hyrum did mess up badly, Ephraim did not seem like he would be swift to anger. 

With that, Hyrum closed his eyes, and fell asleep, still smelling like the sun.

Part 8

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