Waylon's Crossing - 16. Chapter 16: Young Love

Waylon's Crossing
Chapter 16: Young Love

In the dreamscape, Kynan stiffened. "What?" His mind raced trying to figure out what Alan was about to ask. What secrets would he be forced to reveal? And could he do it? Could he really overcome the behaviors he’d learned just to survive in the demon’s world?

Alan’s eyes and voice were solemn: "What's your favorite color?"

That surprised a laugh out of the demon. "What do you want to know that for?"

"Why not? I told you that I want to know you better. If you won't tell me, then I have to ask."

"Alan, Alan," Kynan chuckled. He reached over and pulled him close enough to plant a kiss on the werewolf's cute nose. He closed his eyes, still smiling, and murmured, "Black. Black's my favorite color."

There was silence for a while, long enough for Kynan to start fretting, but then he realized that Alan was smiling, and then laughing, and curiosity made him ask, "Why do you laugh, Alan? What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking," Alan replied, "about a game I used to play, with the other kids, a long time ago, and I'm betting you'd have been pretty good at it. I was wondering," and his voice took on a tinge of nervousness, "if you would like to play?"

Kynan decided to keep his reservations to himself. He asked, cautiously, "What kind of game?"

"It's a trivia game. We would ask each other questions and then have to remember the answers for later. The more kids playing, the more things you had to remember and the harder it was."

"Why?"

"Why what? Why play?" At Kynan's nod, he replied, "It's just for fun, a way to get to know each other better."

"But I already --"

"But I don't know anything about you," Alan retorted, with an edge to his voice. "And the trick is to find out new stuff, anyway."

"Oh." He considered that for a moment, and then gave a mental shrug. It was just a game, what harm could there be?

"There aren't actually any rules," continued Alan. "Not spoken rules anyway. We always just knew what was right and wrong for the game. If the person got something wrong, then we got to do something bad to them."

"Something bad? What do you mean by that?"

"Well ... really, it's anything you can think of. Nothin' too bad. We weren't usually allowed to hit in the face, unless everyone agreed or the kid whined a lot. Just use your imagination! It'll be fun!"

"So a joke, then, not really hurtful?"

Alan shook his head slightly, meeting Kynan's worried gaze with a grin. "Yeah! I mean, some kids were partial to pants-ing, other's liked flicking. Some made the other kid be a slave for an hour. Me? Well ... I liked saving up my punishments. They came in handy when you were in a fix."

"Okay," said Kynan, though he really had no idea what that meant. "That sounds ... smart." He thought for a minute. "So, since you've already asked me a question, does that mean I get to go first?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

"Well, since you know my favorite color, why don't you tell me yours?"

"Blue, actually," said Alan, staring up at the sky. "Dark blue, like the night."

As he spoke, Kynan turned slightly so that he could see the sky, pushing the dreamscape from afternoon to evening and then to night. "Like this?"

"Yeah."

Kynan stared upward, at the twinkling stars. He sighed and lay back.

"Let's see now," mused Alan. "Where's your favorite place in the whole world?"

What strange questions, thought Kynan, though he was relieved that Alan wasn't digging for any real information. Where did he like to go? What place did he visit most in the city? He shrugged. "Um, here?"

Alan turned his head to stare at Kynan. "Really? The park? I mean, I guess it's a nice park and all ...."

Alan's surprised look made Kynan uncomfortable and he blushed, dropping his gaze, to mumble, "I like the lake, and the sunshine, and having the breeze blow against me. The trees and the grass ... it's beautiful, so colorful, not like ... well, like what I'm used to."

"Oh ... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a jerk. It's just ... you've never been to a real lake? Or seen a real forest or plain?"

Kynan shook his head.

"Wow ... I just -- I thought everyone had -- never mind ... well, I guess it's your turn, then."

Something that I don't know, thought Kynan. How does one know what to ask? This was a swap of information, but it all seemed ... casual, he supposed, not serious at all. He frowned; he couldn't think of anything.

"What's your favorite place to be, then?"

"My favorite place? Hmm ... well, it used to be this little cubby hole in one of the abandoned buildings in the neighborhood. I'd never tell them exactly where it was, because I kept a lot of secret experiment stuff in there. Kids would go looking for it all the time, didn't find it for years either, and when they did, they took all the stuff I'd hidden. Heh, but remember those saved up punishments I told you about? I always got this one kid named Robert, had about fifty stacked on him, and I told him to steal all the stuff back. He did too, or got most of it, at least. He was free after that ... for a couple of days at least!"

Oh! thought Kynan suddenly, with some surprise and amusement at how devious his pup could be. Blackmail! Now that did make sense. What an intriguing method for teaching survival skills. Were these the kind of games young demons would play? No, he hardly supposed so, but perhaps a more deadly version....

"But my favorite place now?"

What would they have played? Kynan knew what he'd done as a child, manipulating the dreamscape to be different things, with more and more success as he'd gained practice, though he'd all but stopped that when he sought out the Borderlands.

Alan continued on, oblivious, "That'd have to be ... my father's shop. I love the smells and the sounds. I work there on the weekends, you know, when no one's there. Dad gives me a place to put all the stuff I need and he showed me how to run the kiln ages ago. It's just ... a relaxing place to be."

"Ah!" exclaimed Kynan. "I've got one! If you could be anything you wanted, an animal, what would it be? And you're already a wolf, so that doesn't count."

Alan smiled, deciding to ignore the fact that Kynan had now asked two questions in a row. To see his face light up in excitement was worth it, and the answer was easy: "An eagle."

Kynan frowned, puzzled. "What's that?"

"Uhmm ... well, it's a bigger type of bird, a prey bird, actually. Their coloration is ... well, it's something to be seen. Their feathers are mostly brown, but it's not a dirty or ugly brown, it shines golden and light, reflects the sun brilliantly ... and every tip of them is touched with a pure white."

Kynan thought of birds he’d seen, but making them larger didn't quite seem right. "Okay," he said slowly.

"Yeah. And they don't just fly, they really soar! Oh, when you see one, Kynan, you'll know what I mean! I mean, they're where I got my idea from."

"What idea is that? Is this that spinning thing?"

"No no, it's not that," laughed Alan. "It's -- well, it's kind of complicated, I-I don't think you'd be that interested."

"Of course I'm interested!" Kynan protested. "I always am. What you think of … it’s like … magic."

"Er ... thanks! I, uh, I guess." He blushed and cleared his throat. "It's my turn for a question now, right?"

"Yes," said Kynan, smiling slightly and leaning his chin in his hands.

"Um, well, how about ... what's you're least favorite thing in the world? It can be anything, just name it!"

Kynan stilled, drawing back into himself. The first thing that came to his mind was, "Me? The o-other me, I guess, when I ... uh ..." He dropped his face into his hands, muttering, "Daylight!" and suddenly so uncomfortable and ashamed that he just wanted to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole he could find.

Alan watched him worriedly, wondering just how the game had gone so quickly from lighthearted fun to serious. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's -- I d-don't know, like what you call your 'beast.'" On impulse, he gathered Alan close again in a tight hug, sighing into his hair, "I almost lost you."

Shutting his mouth on a startled squeak, Alan relaxed into the embrace. "But that wasn't really you. That's not the Kynan that I know."

"But that's ... exactly why it's so ... awful!"

Kynan shivered and Alan reached over him to pat him on the shoulder, even daring to run his fingers through his thick hair. Kynan had always seemed so strong, so dominant and in control of himself and everything else. To see him falling apart made Alan increasingly nervous.

"I'm ... This ... do you want to stop?" Alan ventured. "I mean for today? I don't hate you and I don't want you to feel bad about what happened."

"No!" cried Kynan, muffled as he still had his face pressed into Alan's shoulder. "I don't -- don't want to go back!"

He protested, "But you're hurt. I don't want to strain you too much. You still need rest." He shook his head as he felt Kynan draw breath to argue. "No, real rest, not lying here with me. I won't go if you really don't want me to. I just ... just want you to be well when we find you."

"I will be," replied Kynan, with a bit of his usual determination. "Alan?" He paused, and then shook his head slightly. "Never mind."

"What? What is it?"

Kynan drew back a little, to better look Alan in the eye. The werewolf looked very alert, both ears up and forward, bright eyes locked on his. He rolled over, leaning on his shoulder, matching Kynan's serious tone and posture. Kynan looked down, bit his lip, eyebrows furrowing in agitation.

"Alan ... If I ask you not to come, will you stay away?"

The werewolf's mouth dropped open in almost comical surprise. "What?" he gasped. "Why?"

"Because I couldn't -- I don't ... what if you get hurt?" Kynan bit his lip again as it trembled.

"What if you get hurt?" snapped Alan. "What if you die? How could I live with myself, knowing I did nothing?"

"I won't die, Alan." Kynan tried to put as much amused scorn into that statement as possible. He reached out to squeeze one of Alan's hands. "I just ... I need to know you're safe, that's all." He blinked and sighed, knowing that this had been a bad idea, but unable to stop now. Alan looked away; his closed expression brought tears to Kynan's eyes.

"What else can I do but come after you?” cried the werewolf in a voice cracking with pain. “How would I be helping you by sitting around and fretting? I can't! Kynan, please!"

Kynan tried to concentrate on his arguments, but those huge, golden eyes were so distracting! "I ... Alan ... I ... I n-need you too much!" he managed to get out past his tangled tongue. "You have no idea what you'd be walking into, the danger! It would kill me if something happened to you."

Those beautiful, pleading eyes filled up with tears and Kynan's resolve crumbled. He struggled up into a seated position on his tender backside and drew the sniffling werewolf into his arms, being sure to tuck the tail safely aside. He cradled him close, whispering, "Oh, Alan ... shit. I'm sorry."

Alan's arms went around him and he pressed his face into Kynan's chest. "I-I don't know what else to do! Kynan, I'm so afraid!"

Kynan held him close, momentarily bereft of speech. He wanted to say that there was nothing to be afraid of, except that he, too, was deeply, deeply afraid; and that everything would all come out okay, but he wasn't sure about that, either, so he just stayed quiet, with his head resting on Alan's, taking comfort merely in his presence and hoping he could provide Alan with some bit of comfort himself.

As the werewolf continued to sniffle softly, Kynan reached down and smoothed back some of the hair from his face, brushing the wetness from his eyes. "Alan, it's okay, I promise, I can take a lot before I'm in trouble." He smiled lightly, ignoring for the moment that he had apparently come up against his limits when the prince had beaten him. "I'll be okay." He swallowed, hoping that he was making the right decision, by not asking Alan, by changing what he wanted to ask. "You're the smartest ki -- person I know. If you -- I know you'll do what's right, but, Alan, can you promise me one thing?"

He sniffed, but his gaze was more curious than suspicious. "What's that?"

Kynan was still worried, and he gave Alan a kiss on the tip of his cold nose. "Don't do anything rash? I mean, use your head ... um ...."

"Alright," said Alan with a tiny smile. "I promise." Still close, he stuck out his tongue and gave Kynan a wet, slurppy kiss, laughing as the demon recoiled slightly in surprise.

"Ew-ack!" Kynan exclaimed, wiping at his face. "Don't lick me!"

Catching each other's eye, they both laughed and the gloomy mood vanished.

"You know wolves are my favorite animal?" asked Kynan, giving one of Alan's ears a light tug.

Alan tossed his head, both ears swiveling back and forth. He cried out, in mock hurt, "Hey, let go! That hurts!" and gave the larger man a playful shove.

"Don't start something you can't finish!" warned Kynan, laughing, giving Alan a soft push in return that half-tumbled him from his lap.

The werewolf's toes got traction in the soft dirt and he sprang at Kynan, pushing against Kynan's shoulders to play-wrestle. The sudden weight sent the demon toppling over backward and he shrieked as his shoulders hit the ground. For a second he couldn’t breathe through the pain of their combined weight on his abused skin.

Searing, agonizing pain hitting Alan suddenly, fading just as abruptly, but leaving the werewolf dazed.

"Get ... get off me." Kynan curled up on his side, gasping, then rolled slowly over and pressed his face into the ground, eyes tightly shut against tears, hands curling into partial fists, arms tucked in close to his body. As he fought to stay grounded in the dream and not pass out, his image flickered and changed between reality and dream. The park around them also fluctuated.

Alan stared at Kynan, horrified, at both what he'd done, and what he was seeing. Ghostly walls sprang up around them, and then away again, bloodstains and spatters, horror and fear and helplessness out of some terrible nightmare. As he blinked down at the demon, Kynan's clothes shifted into ... he wasn't sure what, but he had to turn his hands over to make sure the palms weren't covered in blood, blood that matted Kynan's thick hair to his head, that stained his cheeks, that ran in rivulets down his arms and sides. Alan clapped a hand to his mouth, bug-eyed with the desire to vomit.

"IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSOSO­RRY!"

There was no response at first and Alan cautiously crept back to Kynan's side, to lay a hand on the trembling shoulder that shuddered harder, for a moment, against that touch, but at least was physically real again. "Kynan?"

"S'okay, Alan. Really. I'm f-fine."

Alan frowned. "No you're not!" He bit his lip in worry, smacking himself on the head, deciding to take a page out of Kynan's book and let him continue thinking that Alan knew less than he did. "I can't believe I forgot! And after going on about it too. What was I thinking?" He started to run his hand along Kynan's shoulder and stopped, unable to forget what he'd seen. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just ... a beating, it's not bad."

Alan grimaced. If that was a beating ... He asked instead, "Is there ... is there anything I can do, to ... to help you?" He leaned in closer as Kynan made some kind of noise that resembled a chuckle.

"Oh, Alan, no, it's okay. You ... you can be really sweet, you know that?"

Alan sat back, smiling. Kynan turned his head, wiping at his eyes, to look up at the werewolf. "Are you -- you're not laughing at me, are you?"

Alan laughed. "'Course not. I'm just thinking."

Kynan smiled back, as much in relief as any real amusement. That was his pup, always thinking. "What about?"

"Heh, just ...."

"You've gotten all serious on me again, haven't you?"

A sigh. "Yeah ... I just wish every day could be like this, you know. Just you and me...and the world ... that's all."

Kynan matched his sigh and beckoned slightly to the werewolf. "Come here."

Still looking rather mournful, Alan scooted over, to lie down, letting Kynan tuck his limbs where they wouldn't hurt him. Kynan smiled to himself, taking both wrists in one hand and leaping lightly to his knees, all pain and discomfort forgotten, for the moment. He could pass out later.

"Ha!" he yelled, and started tickling.

Alan yelped in surprise, and then was laughing. "N-n-no! Haha - Stop! STOP!"

Kynan tickled him a minute or so longer, carefully avoiding the flailing feet, then, chuckling, let him go and lay back down. His vision had gone all blurry and the trees were doing a weird kind of hazy dance, so he closed his eyes for a bit.

"You're the best," whispered Alan, giving him a hug.

Kynan clenched his jaw, glad his eyes were closed, because he felt like crying, which was weird, that those simple, quiet words could generate such a torrent of return affection that filled his heart to overflowing. He blindly reached over to ruffle Alan's hair, and yawned.

"I guess it's time. I should go." He didn't have to open his eyes to know that Alan was now giving him his best puppy-look. He had to smile, saying, mock-seriously, "I'm not looking!"

Alan whined softly and nuzzled Kynan's ear with a moist, cold nose. Kynan giggled and pushed him away, looking up at him with regret.

"Things're starting to look weird to me, Alan, I need to go." He yawned again.

"Be ... safe, okay?"

"You, too, wolf," sighed Kynan. "You, too."

Alan gave him one last hug and sat back, biting his lip as both Kynan and the dream faded away.