Work Text:
He fought. He fought so hard. He had sunk his teeth into flesh and torn it, he had scored deep divots into skin with his claws, he had struggled like a fish being reeled to its death.
They still caught him. They still strapped an iron collar around his neck and threw him into a cage that stung his paws and stomach. He screamed, yowls and wails filling the air until they muzzled him, the sharp sting of iron silencing him.
Hunters. Stupid, stupid hunters. They were supposed to stay to the outskirts of the forest, taking only the foolish prey that decided to stray too far. They weren't supposed to venture deep into the sea of trees in pursuit of those that should be left alone. They weren't supposed to harness the wild things and sell them in their markets with rings of iron around their throats. They had unbalanced what had so precariously been balanced before, and now Grian was in an iron cage with an iron collar and an iron muzzle, no doubt to be sold to some rich child who wanted a smart pet.
He growled low in his chest, but the vibrations made the collar brush up against his skin, scorching it, so he stopped. He wrapped his tail around his legs, glaring out of the bars of his cage, and watched as dozens of other wild creatures were chained and shackled and thrown into cages to be dragged away from the forest forever. He was so angry, but he couldn't fight, he had already tried that and now he was locked up and powerless. He couldn't even shift back to his human form, not with the iron surrounding him.
The hunters spent hours stealing the wild folk, then loaded them all up onto their machines that coughed smoke and roared like broken beasts. Grian was sandwiched between two other shifters, both locked into bird forms. They chirped softly to each other, and Grian ducked his head so that they could communicate more fully. There was no point in him blocking their last moments together.
The hunters' camp was dull and grey, devoid of the wild magic that flowed through the forest. There was a ramshackle shed hastily constructed in the corner, and it didn't take long for all of the creatures to be transferred into it. It smelled horrific inside, unclean and damp and dirty in all the wrong ways, and dozens of creatures within it screamed and cried as the hunters strode past.
Grian was the last to be unloaded, and when the hunter carrying him stepped into the shed, they were quick to realize that there was no room for one more cage.
“Oi, Jeff, where do I put this one?”
“Void if I know, stick it with another one of the beasties. That thing's scraggly, I doubt it'll sell for much. Maybe it'll be a good snack for a stronger critter.” A voice called back from across the clearing. The hunter huffed, then unlocked Grian's cage.
Before he had the chance to run, to escape, a massive hand snatched the collar around his throat and hauled him out. Grian thrashed in their grip, screaming silently through the muzzle as the collar burned his skin. They didn't even flinch, instead opening another cage and throwing him inside of it. He slid across the floor, only stopped by something soft, then laid limply on the cold metal, breathing hard.
“Don't eat it.” The hunter instructed, then laughed. “Or do, I don't much care.”
A hand brushed against Grian's fur, and he shivered under the touch. Fingers slowly worked their way underneath his collar, and with a series of clicks, it fell away, leaving his seared skin bare.
“There we go.” A voice murmured softly, and Grian could practically taste the wild magic in his tone. Whatever he was caged with, it was powerful, far more than he was.
“It'll be a minute before I can get that muzzle off, my fingers can only handle so much iron.” It hummed, and a pair of hands slid beneath him, lifting him up and setting him down lightly atop something soft. “Here, now you’re not on top of it.”
Grian blinked a few times, then lifted his head to see who was helping him. They were humanoid, almost human passing, if it weren’t for the pointed ears and sharp teeth and monstrous shine to their green eyes. Their clothing was made out of the finest fabrics, the sort that only royals wore, and their ears were pierced with gold. Their brown hair was perfectly styled atop their head and looked liked it was spun with gold. They looked like a monarch, rather than another wild being trapped in a cage.
Grian’s heart stopped. He was sitting in the lap of a fae.
“Hi there.” They smiled at him, and he found himself transfixed, unable to look away from their face. “You are a sweetheart, aren’t you? You look just like my Jellie, if she were brown instead of grey.”
They scratched behind his ears, their fingers appearing long and graceful, but he could feel the strength behind them, the calluses left on their hands from hard labor. This wasn’t a delicate creature of the forest, this was a powerful beast that had killed before and would again. This was a wild thing, and it would not remain in a cage for long.
“You must be a shifter.” The fae hummed, continuing to pet him calmly. “You don’t seem particularly powerful, do you only have two forms?”
It would be foolish not to answer, so Grian nodded. The metal spokes of his muzzle dug into his skin, and instinctively, his claws shot out of his paws, digging into the fabric beneath him. He froze, not even daring to breathe.
“What’s wrong?” The fae asked, bending over to look at him and noticing his claws now firmly stuck in his trousers. “Oh, that’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it. I’ll try and get that muzzle off of you in a minute, my fingers are still kinda burnt from the collar.”
Grian carefully extracted his claws, shrinking back when he saw the tiny holes left behind.
“Hey, it’s okay, relax.” The fae ran a hand down his spine, smoothing down his fur. “I’m not going to hurt you. We’re in this together now, and we’re gonna get out together too. Oh, where are my manners? You can call me Scar, he/him.”
Grian blinked up at him, waiting for him to realize that he couldn’t respond. It took longer than it really should have.
“Oh, right, you can’t answer me. Well then, I’ll have to think of something to call you.” Scar leaned back, tugging his cloak up so that his skin wouldn’t come in contact with the iron bars. “Hmm…well, I can at least get your pronouns while I think of a name. Tap my hand with your paw if any pronouns I list off fit, alright?”
Grian tapped his hand, to show that he understood.
“Okay, uh, she/her? Nope, he/him?”
Grian tapped his hand again, hitting it three times to really bring the point home.
“He/him? Any other ones?” Scar asked, and Grian shook his head, hissing quietly as the muzzle bit into his cheek. “Oh, here, lemme see if I can get that off now.”
Grian held perfectly still as he reached around the sides of his face, then very carefully tugged on the iron. It creaked a few times, then slid off, clattering to the floor of the cage as Scar dropped it. He waved his fingers through the air a few times, then popped a few in his mouth.
Grian yawned, stretching his jaw and relishing the fact that it could open again. He meowed softly to himself, then rubbed his face with his paw, feeling the burns that lined his skin. They still stung, and probably would for a while, but it was nothing compared to the pain of before.
“There we go, much better!” Scar declared, kicking the muzzle across the floor with his boot. “Now you can move better, and even shift if you want.”
Grian paused, debating whether or not he wanted to shift, or even if he could shift with them being surrounded on all sides by iron. He decided it would be safer for him to just stay in his cat form. There was less risk of getting more burnt than he already was, and it would also be easier to escape if he were smaller. Also, the cage they were in wasn’t very large, and it would probably be pretty cramped in there.
“That’s alright, you can stay a cat, I don’t mind.” Scar scratched behind his ears again, and he leaned into the touch without registering that he was doing so. It felt amazing, and he realized he couldn’t remember the last time someone had pet behind his ears. He began to purr low in his chest, a deep rumble that echoed through the tiny shack they were stuffed in, and Scar laughed, using both hands now to pet him.
“You’re a big sweetheart, aren’t you? You know what, your nickname is going to be Sunshine, because you’re so delightful. Get it? De-light-ful?”
Grian shut his eyes and flopped over in his lap, stretching out and letting himself melt into a puddle. Now that Scar had proven he wasn’t a threat, he was soaking up all of the attention, his purr getting louder to fill the room.
The next day passed slowly, too slowly. Scar had tried to converse with Grian, but one of the hunters had yelled at them to shut up and threw oatmeal at them. So now they were sitting silently in the corner of the cell, Grian pressed up against Scar’s torso, too nervous to purr. Scar had an arm draped over him protectively, holding him close and keeping him safe. They both knew it was pointless, the hunters could drag them both away if they wanted to, but it was the thought that counted.
It was near the evening that things started to change.
“There's someone new in the camp.” Scar whispered, quiet enough that only Grian could hear him. “I can't tell any more through the iron, but there's someone here.”
Grian perked up, his ears twitching. He couldn't hear anything past the shuffle of creatures in cages, but he didn't need to. The door to the shed swung open, and a person with bright red hair and green eyes stepped in. They were wearing a green cloak around their shoulders, and they carried themself with an air of authority as they let themself in. A hunter scrambled after them, babbling something about fragile merchandise, but they waved him off.
“I'd like to inspect what I'm purchasing, thank you very much.” They strode through the line of cages, coming to a stop outside Grian and Scar's. “What's this then? A two for one special?”
“Ah, uh, due to our location and resources available, they had to be housed together.” The hunter explained, out of breath. “If you wish to purchase them separately, that can be arranged.”
“Alright then, what are you?” The intruder leaned against the bars, but Grian noticed that they had pulled their cloak sleeves over their arms so that their skin didn't come in contact with the iron. He sniffed the air hesitantly, and yep, there was wild magic. They weren't human.
“What are any of us, really?” Scar replied casually. “For all you know, I could be seven rats in a trenchcoat.”
“Fae then, dodging the question.” They hummed, turning their gaze to Grian. He hissed, shrinking back against Scar defensively. They laughed.
“Feisty. I'll take both of them. How soon will I be able to pick them up?”
The hunter blinked a few times, then launched into business mode, discussing price and preparation. Apparently, Grian and Scar couldn't be sold until they were "purified", whatever that meant, which meant that they couldn't be handed over until the next morning. They continued to discuss as they left the shed, closing the door behind them.
“Okay, I know that looked bad, but this is actually really good.” Scar whispered. “I can't explain too much, the hunter is still in here, but this is a good thing.”
Grian huffed and curled up against his chest, making a quiet grumbling sound. Scar laughed quietly in response.
“Oi! Quiet, monster.” The hunter in the shed growled.
Scar stuck out his tongue, but didn't make any more sound.
The whole purifying thing was a sham. They sat in the cage all the way until the morning, until three hunters came and hauled it out. Scar had to hold Grian up against his chest to keep him from falling onto the iron floor or into the bars. The customer was waiting for them, and now that they were actually out and in the forest air, in the most wild place that could be occupied by humans, Grian could practically feel the waves of magic rolling off of them.
“Right, where are the keys?” They held out a hand. The hunters all exchanged nervous looks between each other, until the bravest one spoke up.
“Surely you don't want to open it up here? Where it could attack you?”
“I do what I want to.” They snapped back. “I'm perfectly capable of dealing with this, hand me the key.”
“Ma'am, we–”
“I have killed hundreds of monsters, you think I can't handle a measly fae and an itty bitty shifter?” They snatched up the closest hunter by the collar, hoisting them into the air. “Do I need to prove myself to you?”
“No ma'am, sorry ma'am.” The next closest hunter, the one who was still standing on solid ground, held out the entire key ring.
“Well? Which one is it? I haven't got all day.” They dropped the hunter, holding out their hand again. The hunter tugged the correct key off of the ring and handed it to them, and their skin began to sizzle quietly, quiet enough that Grian was pretty sure he was the only one to hear it. They marched swiftly up to the cage, stuck the key in the lock, and threw open the door.
“Go cause chaos.” They grinned, and Scar laughed, the sound echoing throughout the entire clearing. Wild magic rushed through the clearing, and two more figures stepped out of the bushes, both oozing with the forest's energy.
The hunters, naturally, panicked. One of them shoved at the one who had freed them, but they grabbed them around the throat and hurled them to the ground. As they did so, the illusion across them dispersed. Their skin, which had been pink and tan and human, turned grey and green, dead.
“Sunshine, meet Cleo, Bdubs, and Etho!” Scar declared, scrambling out of the cage. “My lovely companions!”
The smell of smoke reached Grian's nose, and he turned his head to see that the shed was on fire. Dozens upon dozens of wild creatures swarmed out, screaming and lashing out, taking the hunters down with the power of rage and the wild rushing through their veins.
Scar ran for the forest, stumbling a bit as he did, and Grian realized that he was probably weakened due to the iron. He debated squirming out of his arms for a minute, then decided it was probably safer to just stay with him. His companions seemed pretty capable, and he really didn't want to get captured again.
“Told you it was good!” Scar crowed, leaping over a fallen log. “We'll meet back up with them in a bit, we have a spot.”
They hurtled through the forest at breakneck speed, and Grian breathed in the fresh air gratefully. Even though he'd only been trapped for a day, he had missed the forest's energy. He wanted nothing more than to stretch his legs, to run through the grass and underbrush and become one with nature once again. Instead, he stayed put in Scar's arms until he slowed to a stop in a clearing, a mushroom circle in the center.
“Ah, here we go.” He sat down suddenly, flopping back into the circle and closing his eyes. “Isn't this so much better?”
Grian leapt out of his arms and onto the grass, flexing his claws and tearing at the dirt for a minute. He purred contentedly, then trotted back over to Scar, sitting down next to him. After a moment, he stood back up against and strode to the edge of the mushroom circle, meowing to get Scar's attention.
“What is it, Sunshine?” Scar propped himself up on his elbows, watching him curiously.
Grian meowed again, then shifted, his bones twisting and growing and his fur transforming into clothing, until he was as human as a wild thing could get, sitting just inside the mushroom circle. He stretched, his bones clicking and popping as they settled, then grinned at Scar.
“That's much better.”
Scar's face lit up brighter than the sun shining overhead.