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“Gavin, you might want to think about not doing that.”
Ryan wasn’t overly sure how a relatively simple and routine mission ended up with him, coat hood pulled up over his head and staff held firmly in his right hand, standing at the base of relatively tall sycamore tree trying to coax his partner back down to the safety of the earth below. Gavin, bow slung across his back and his hands managing to find niches in the tree’s bark easily as if he were part squirrel, ignored him and continued to climb, higher and higher until Ryan’s neck hurt from looking up. He swung himself up onto a branch and, the vibrant green of his outfit blending in with the leaves, he almost seemed to disappear from view.
“What?” Gavin called back, his voice seeming to echo around the woods and startling the birds from nearby trees. Ryan sighed.
It started out as a relatively routine assignment. Geoff had received news from a nearby group of villages about a series of wolf attacks in their area. The villages were peaceful by nature and small, neatly nestled out of the way of any major trade routes and ill-equipped to deal with anything larger or stronger than the odd bandit wandering into their midst. The wolves were beyond what their means and a cry for help was sent out to The Hunters.
Ryan rolled his eyes at the name - one that was devised one evening under the influence of far too many beers and one that he was still trying to figure out of he liked - and shielded his eyes from the sun. He tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground, the sharp sound resonating around them and he could just about see Gavin’s face as he peered over the branch.
“Are you just gonna stay up there then?” Ryan called, sensing more than hearing Gavin’s shrug in reply. “‘cos Geoff told us all to stay together.” ‘And look how quickly that lasted.’
For a group that worked incredibly well together, given their differences in background and expertise, one of the things the general population didn’t know was just how disorganised they could be. So, naturally, when they descended into the forest like the a pack of righteous avengers (Ryan was pretty sure either Michael or Gavin had coined that particular term) it had taken them approximately five minutes to get completely and utterly separated.
Ryan was just thankful that he’d found Gavin, and as he watched the younger man get to his feet he felt an icy worry form in his chest. “Gav, what are yo-” He sucked in a sharp breath as Gavin, possessing a medium of balance that very few knew he was capable of, ran across the branch he’d climbed up on and, flying through the air with his scarf tails whipping behind him, leapt to a branch of a neighbouring tree.
Ryan’s heart pounded in his ears.
“Geoff tells us a lot of things,” Gavin called back, standing straight with a hand splayed across the bark of the tree, with a casual air of someone who hadn’t just risked their neck. “I can get a better view from up here.”
“You idiot! You’re gonna fall and hurt yourself.”
“Am not!” Ryan could hear the smirk in Gavin’s voice as he leapt into another tree. “We’ll get this done in no time at all! You waving your magicky stuff around, me shooting stuff from up here. It’ll be top!”
Ryan scowled, pulling his hood further over his head as a drop of water fell onto his forehead and he sniffed at the air, smelling the hint of rain. “Gavin. Either come back down here willingly or I’ll make you come down.” He tapped the staff again and the orb flashed.
“What’s in it for me?” Gavin cooed, not taking any notice of Ryan as he took a running jump into another tree. “You’ve got to promise me something worth coming down fo-oh bollocks.”
Ryan looked up at the exclamation, heart in his throat as he half expected to see Gavin tumbling from the branches. Instinctively he tensed and power flowed through him, the crimson orb atop the staff lit up ready to react and a glyph formed at his feet. But instead the dull sound of something light and wooden meeting the ground met his ears and his eyes fixed onto the sight of Gavin’s handmade yew shortbow amongst the leaves at the foot of the tree.
“Er, I don’t suppose you’d be so kind as to toss that back up here love?”
Ryan’s brow creased as he stepped forward, the glyph dissipating as he walked, and crouched down to pick up the bow. “How about ‘no’?” He muttered, standing up straight and resting Gavin’s bow at the foot of the tree. He looked up and raised his voice. “Well, shooting wolves is going to be so much easier now isn’t it? We’ll get this over and done with in no time.”
“Shut up Ryan,” Gavin whined in reply. “I still have a better view from up here, I can spot them, direct you to them and then pop back down to help you fight.”
Ryan didn’t think that Gavin’s dagger, as sharp and well-cared for as it was, would do much against a pack of wolves in comparison to his bow and arrows but he stopped the retort from passing his lips. The rain, which beforehand had been nothing but the odd drop, had started to pick up; the light pitter-patter on his long coat, gradually picking up in speed and ferocity, was loud to his ears and the moist smell of the woods attacking his senses. He adjusted the hood again and watched Gavin’s progress through the treetops like a hawk.
“Gav, it’s raining.”
“Thank you Ry for that wonderfully accurate weather report. I never would’ve guessed.”
“Gavin listen! It’s raining, it’s going to be too dangerous to mess around in the treetops and you’ll fucking fall, break your neck and I’ll have to be the one who has to tell Geoff what happened!”
“I’ll be fine, quit worrying your pretty little head about it and let’s find us some wolves!”
Ryan growled in annoyance but tried his best to turn his attention back to the task at hand, unable to quell the worry in his gut each time he heard the telltale sound of something solid moving quickly through the air, the light thump of a landing and the rustle of disturbed leaves above him.
He moved carefully through the woods, his feet light on the ground and his staff poised and ready, focusing his senses and searching for any unusual sights or sounds within the stillness of the woods. The rain, picking up from a steady patter, started to fall harder, and Ryan resisted the urge to put up a forcefield to shield himself from it, his worry for Gavin piquing as his own feet started to lose traction on the slick ground.
“Gavin!” He called, raising his voice over the sound of the rain. He heard Gavin yell something unintelligible in response followed by the familiar rushing sound of his partner in the air. He yelled louder. “I really think you sho-”
Even over the rain Ryan could hear the thump of Gavin’s landing followed by an unhealthy snapping of a branch, Gavin’s startled cry filling the air in its wake. He looked up sharply at the sound, his heart in his throat and his mind frantically running over incantations but it was as if his thoughts had run into a brick wall and all he could do was watch as Gavin - surprisingly silent after the initial yelp of surprise - fell from the sky.
Somehow, Gavin reacted first. Quicker than Ryan could comprehend, which was strange considering how agile his mind usually was, the younger man had pulled his dagger from the holster on his leg and, as he plunged, stabbed it into the bark of the tree.
Ryan could see what he was aiming to do. With nothing to grab onto to slow his descent Gavin was hoping that the dagger would enable him to stop falling long enough to regain his bearings. However, the dagger - once embedded in the damp bark - sliced downwards as Gavin’s weight pulled on it and carried the brunet further down the trunk of the tree before halting. At the sudden jolting stop Gavin’s grip on the handle loosened and he dropped like a stone the rest of the way, crumpling at the base of the tree like a ragdoll.
Ryan momentarily stood frozen, eyes wide at the sight of the man he loved lying motionless on the ground, before he sprung forward towards him. “Gavin!” He cried, dropping to his knees and propping his staff up against the tree, gently rolling Gavin onto his back. “I fucking told you you’d fall! Fuck!” Gavin gave a low groan in response as his eyes flitted open, raising a shaky and dirt-streaked hand to shield his eyes from the raindrops, and Ryan sagged in relief. He rested his forehead against Gavin’s and let out a tight laugh. “You idiot. You absolute idiot.”
“Christ, that was a long drop,” Gavin groaned, his voice small and cracking slightly. Ryan detected a hint of something else and frowned, sitting up to carefully watch Gavin’s face. The younger man’s face was pale and his brow was creased in pain as he stared up at Ryan blearily. “Ow.”
Ryan immediately started to check Gavin’s body for injuries, lightly brushing his hands across the younger man’s limbs with the professional air of a healer. Before he could get far though Gavin cried out, clasping his hand tightly around mage’s wrist.
“I think I’ve buggered my leg up,” he hissed, teeth clenched and Ryan started to turn slightly so he could see the full extent of the damage and reached out with a glowing blue hand.
Both Ryan and Gavin froze as they heard multiple growls sound out from behind them. Ever so slowly, Ryan stood up and turned round gripping his staff tightly.
Stepping out from the thick woods behind them were approximately eight timber wolves, each with their hackles raised and growling at the two intruders in their territory.
“Gavin, whatever you do, don’t fucking move.” Ryan whispered, holding the staff above his head before slamming it into the ground. Immediately following that, the air started to ripple like a water droplet in a pond, the red orb on top started to glow and a glyph appeared under Ryan’s feet. The energy released from the orb moved towards the pack of wolves, knocking them slightly off their feet. Behind him, a shimmering blue force field made its way around Gavin, protecting him from any stray wolves that would make a break for him.
The red orb shone bright once more and Ryan started to lift off the ground, floating a few feet above the wolves for a strategic vantage point, a swirling mass of air underneath him. He twirled the staff above his head with both hands before he suddenly gripped it and pointed it straight at a wolf. From the end of the staff a bolt of pure white energy travelled from the end to the closet wolf, turning into a dark blue that matched the shield around Gavin.
It yelped and the scent of burnt fur filled the air. The other wolves snapped into action, three of them pouncing right at Ryan while another two went out of his view to attempt to sneak around him to Gavin. Ryan ducked the first wolf and spun in a circle, jamming the tip end of the staff into a second wolf. He spun the staff a few more times in his hands before gripping it and releasing another bolt of energy at the third wolf.
A startled cry distracted Ryan, making him lose focus on his opponents which resulted in a wolf knocking him out of the air. With a growl, Ryan swung his staff in an arc in front of him, blasting the wolves back a good few feet. They only shook their heads before attacking right back.
The two wolves that had snuck around were brutally attacking the barrier around Gavin, trying to break it. They were slashing at it with their claws and and ramming their bodies into it.
Feeling a growing anger in him, Ryan growled animalistically at the beasts and jumped back into the air. Holding his staff vertically in front of him with both hands, he started to utter a chant under his breath. The red orb started to shine brighter and brighter, reflecting the dangerous gleam of the wolves’ eyes back to him in dark red. Appearing around his midsection was a single ring of energy, and as Ryan’s eyes shut in concentration, glyphs started to form from the ring. Six different glyphs came into view and Ryan’s eyes snapped open and fixed on the two creatures. The glyphs absorbed into Ryan’s staff and he pointed it at the wolves, which started to whimper and fell to the forest floor howling in pain. A small flame of hot blue fire licked at them from underneath until it engulfed them into nothing.
Collapsing back onto the ground Ryan fell to his knees, exhausted from the heavy spell work and not used to fire over arcane. The shield around Gavin flickered out of existence and Gavin made his way slowly to his boyfriend, worry etched across his face.
"There are still two more out there, plus the alpha Ry. " Gavin gritted his teeth in pain. Using his staff as a cane, Ryan pushed himself back up on his feet, ready to fight and defend Gavin.
The air seemed to ripple with electricity with each passing minute putting Ryan on edge. He put his hand over Gavin’s and a light blue glow shone as the healing process was sped up. It was only when the hairs on the back of their necks stood up that they knew they were in trouble. With Ryan slightly exhausted, and Gavin wounded and weaponless, the chances of being able to take out the approaching alpha wolf were not in their favour.
A shift in the shadows of the trees alerted them to the wolves’ presence, followed by tiny bolts of electricity jumping from raindrop to raindrop. A piercing howl echoed out through the trees and two wolves jumped out of their hiding spot. Ryan hit one on the muzzle instantly, sending a blast of energy at it and it flew backwards, hitting a tree with a sickening crack. The second one jumped to the side, easily dodging Ryan’s staff and ran towards Gavin.
With a shocked yell, Gavin ducked his head and covered his stomach in an attempt to protect his weaker spots. The beast had Gavin’s arm in its jaws before Ryan kicked it to the side and with a yelp it shook its head to clear it before jumping back in to defend its territory.
A jolt of electricity hit Ryan in the back, knocking him over. He whipped around to face what appeared to be the alpha wolf; bigger than the rest and its fur seeming to blend into the shadows, the bolts of electricity that jumped through the rain seemed to emit from it.
The alpha growled at the smaller wolf threateningly as it advanced towards the duo. Ryan watched as the smaller one disregarded the alpha and attempted to bite at Gavin again. Almost instantly, the alpha was in front of the wolf and bit down hard on its neck, sending a jolt of electricity from his bite for an instant kill. Tossing the dead body aside, the wolf faced Ryan once more and started to approach.
Staff poised in front of him Ryan started to concentrate his remaining energy, which was getting close to being depleted, into his staff. The faint glow feebly shone out and a smaller glyph than normal made its way under his feet. Taking an attempt, Ryan shouted and and shot a weak attack towards the alpha. The pathetic offence did not phase the beast and it pounced towards Ryan, teeth barred. He threw up his hands and, hoping to protect himself, a faint shield appeared.
A whistling sound echoed in the air before an arrow lodged itself in the alpha’s neck, toppling it before it could reach Ryan. Exhausted, Ryan dropped his arms and made his way back to Gavin. Footsteps echoed through the sound of the rain and Ryan saw Jack run towards them, Gavin’s bow in hand.
“Oh thank god.” Ryan muttered before turning his attention to Gavin’s wounds. He held one hand up to his arm and the other to Gavin’s in attempts to heal as much he could, and fast. Jack had pulled out his axe and was attempting to keep the wolf at bay, having dropped the bow at Gavin’s feet. Seeing Ryan’s eyes started to droop from the extensive use of energy, Gavin leant forward to place a single kiss on his lips before breaking the healing and grabbing his bow.
With his leg still preventing him from forming his proper stance, Gavin notched an arrow in his bow and released it, quickly followed by two more in rapid succession. The first arrow hit the wolf in its side, stopping it from attack Jack, whilst the second arrow lodged itself in its foreleg, causing the creature to yelp and buck up. A third arrow honed in on its heart, hitting it dead center.
By now, the rest of the team had managed to find their way towards the trio; weapons in hand and ready to fight if need be. At seeing no immediate threat their attentions turned to the exhausted mage, half-slumped against the tree trunk, and their injured archer.
“What did I say about staying together?!” Geoff yelled, waving his sword around as if it wasn’t a dangerous piece of weaponry. “Someone always ends up fucking hurt whenever we split up!”
“Are you guys okay?” Ray asked, sheathing his shortsword, concern clear on his face. Gavin, clearly favouring one leg over the other, waved him off.
“We’ll be okay,” he replied, looking over to where Jack was helping to keep Ryan on his feet. “Might need a little help getting back home though.”
“I refuse to give you a piggyback,” Michael glowered, even as he stepped over to take one of Gavin’s arms over his shoulders and wrap an arm around his waist, Ray joining him on Gavin’s other side.
“Awwww, but Michael!”
Ryan, being supported similarly by Jack, looked over and smiled tiredly over at Gavin. Gavin grinned and blew a kiss back.