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Patton stumbled through the everlasting green, breaths coming out in pants and gasps. His lungs were burning, begging for oxygen, but he couldn’t stop running. His vision was going fuzzy at the edges and he was starting to lose feeling in his legs, but he couldn’t stop running.
If he stopped running, they’d catch him.
If he stopped running, he’d die.
A strangled gasp caught in Patton’s throat as he tripped on a tree root and fell face first into the dirt. He turned onto his back, sat up and scrambled backwards, tears streaming down his cheeks. By the time he brought his arms up to shield his face, he was in hysterics, crying and begging for his pursuer not to hurt him; to just walk away and leave him be.
Once he gained an ounce of coherency, he realised he was alone. There was nobody stalking up to him; nobody grabbing him roughly by the arm and restraining him.
He was safe, though he suspected things wouldn’t remain that way for long. He had to keep moving.
He had to.
He… had to…
A snake slithered through the forest, its bright yellow scales gleaming in the sunlight. It slithered over rocks and around trees, its tongue occasionally flicking out to taste the air.
There was a mortal nearby. The snake could sense it.
When the snake found the mortal, they were laying face first in the dirt. The snake nudged them with its head, but they didn’t even stir. It was clear they were unconscious; likely a result of exhaustion.
The mortal had entered the forest for a reason. The snake wasn’t about to just leave them there. In a flash of yellow light, it shifted into its human form, scooped the mortal into his arms and began the journey to where he knew they would be safe to recover.
Patton woke slowly. As he regained awareness, his lips parted and a quiet groan escaped. There was a hand brushing the hair out of his face, and he felt his glasses slide onto his face. When his eyes fluttered open, it took a moment for the face hovering above him to come into focus.
“Hello,” the stranger murmured. “Are you alright? How do you feel?”
Patton blinked slowly. “I… what…” His brow furrowed and he noticed that the left side of the stranger’s face was mostly made up of green scales. On top of that, their eye on that side was a brilliant yellow, whereas the eye on their more human side was a chocolate brown.
“Shh, shh, don’t be afraid,” the stranger soothed when Patton’s eyes widened. “No harm is going to come to you, little mortal.”
“Where… where am I?”
“Silverhold. To spare you the long, boring explanation, it is a haven for those who have nowhere else to go.”
Patton blinked. “Huh. Wait, who… who are you?”
The stranger stood from where they had been crouched beside Patton. “My name is Janus. What is your name, little mortal?”
“’M not little, and it’s Patton.”
“Patton,” Janus echoed, testing the name on his tongue. Patton flinched, fearing that he had just sold himself to one of the fae. Noticing Patton’s fear, Janus chuckled.
“You have nothing to fear, Patton. I am no fae, nor am I associated with them in any way.” Janus demonstrated by transforming into a snake with gleaming yellow scales, which was odd considering the scales on his face had been green. When he returned to his human form, he was in the exact same position he’d been in when he’d transformed.
“Okay, that’s…” Patton sighed, almost in relief. “That’s good.”
Was it?
“Now, you must be exhausted,” Janus said, crouching beside Patton again. Patton nodded and his eyelids drooped. “Alright, go back to sleep, okay? You’re safe here, Patton. I promise.”
“Okay…” Patton murmured, closing his eyes. “I trust you, Janus.”
And, to both his and Janus’ surprise, he meant it.