Chapter Text
“Will go collect some lavender sprigs,” his mother said, hunched over her apothecary table. She blew a blond curl out of her face, before straightening up to tie her hair back. Her spine popped and cracked as she stretched. Will nodded dutifully and headed outside.
The spring air was warm and smelled of sweet rain, it mocked him. Despite the usual April showers the garden was sparse, Will had to search for a while before he could find lavender bright enough for the salve. He frowned and twirled the small flower in his fingers, in years prior the bush would be so full he could hardly see green.
Turning back towards the house he heard a rustle in the bushes and spun around, his breath picking up. He strained his eyes and jumped back with a yelp when something popped out. There, staring at him inquisitively, was a young rabbit. Will let his shoulders relax and shook his head. Babies are always the bravest; the most foolish too. They always get caught up in their traps just to be let go. His mother cursed them for making her re-rig the ropes without a meal to show for it. That's the way of life for them, they're invincible ‘till they're not.
Walking back inside he handed his mother the lavender and got to work. As a boy he would divide up the batches, peel aloe vera, sew up small injuries and other menial tasks. Now as a young man he has been well trained. He can make salves and even do some procedures under his mothers supervision. Last month he helped deliver a baby and set a broken leg.
They had been getting more patients as of late. Less wild game and poorer yields means that everyone is hungrier and more easily fallen ill.
Will and his mother worked throughout the day to restock their medicinal drawer. The orange dusk spilled through the windows into their kitchen. Outside there was the unmistakable snap of their live trap and a high squeal. His mother turned towards the window. “If that's the damned bunny again, I’m eating it out of spite.”
“I got it mama,” Will understood his mothers annoyance but a part of him was always relieved to see a baby. He wasn't a fan of butchering something bound and helpless. His recent hunger though, made him care a little less. Walking towards the forest's edge, he froze.
There, a familiar figure was standing beside the trap, hands working furiously to unravel it.
“It’s a baby, won't feed you for even a meal. You're better off letting it grow up and keep adding to the population.” Will spoke to the creature from a distance. Its hands slowed and turned, large dark eyes looking into Wills.
Will was startled by Nico's appearance, His cheeks were sallow and skin stained with a sickly pallor. The boy was usually so ethereal; beauty and allure are some of a fae's most valuable tools after all .
“Dont lecture me on wildlife populations, I know more about these woods then you ever will.” He glared. His voice was smooth and low with a distinctive accent. Will noticed how even speaking seemed to take a great effort. “Maybe if you all could grow something I wouldn't have to resort to rabbits the size of my palm.” He stepped away from the net and faced WIll with crossed arms. Will waited for him to sink back into the shadows like usual but he didn't.
“Theres a reason for this, you know,” The boy motioned around them.
Will was braver around Nico than fellow villagers, occasionally stopping and speaking to him. Still, he knows to be careful. He had been tricked out of a fresh caught turkey enough times to know the boy is never just interested in a friendly chat. Will had learned some of the boys rules and restrictions though, and had gotten quite good at navigating their conversations.
Will ran over the boy's words in his mine, checking for traps and crafting a response. Nico waited patiently. It was too vague to tempt Will. “I do not know what you refer to, I do not wish to.”
“If I were you, I would want to know” Nico said, eyes slitting.
“You are not me.” Will countered quickly.
“I know why,” Nico's tone turned enticing. Most likely hoping to trade food for knowledge. Will kept an impassive face, waiting for the boy to leave. Old stolen clothes hung loose on his hunger-pained frame. He looked at Will like a last chance.
“The barren fields, the lack of game, it isn't the natural cycle, it won't go back to normal.” Nico's voice shook and his hands lay clenched at his side.
Will's eyes widened. This wasn’t the typical, baseless loophole to trip over. The creature was offering information, real information. Will knew Nico's kind couldn't tell an outright lie, so they usually stayed away from details. It seemed, tonight, Nico was desperate enough to make an actual deal. Something far more dangerous to both of them.
Nico noticed Will's interest immediately. “If something is not done, we will not survive the winter.”
“You have not said what you want.” Wills' heart raced, he couldn't afford to lose anything from this mental chess.
“I want your help.” His eyes bore into Will, burning through his body.
“Will! What did we get?” Will looked behind him towards his mother, coming down the path. Turning back around, Nico was gone.
“These foul little beasts!” His mother threw her hands up, looking into the trap.
“You can see the evil in their eyes,” Will said seriously. His mother rolled her eyes and released the frightened animal back into the woods.
“It’s late, we will have your brother move it in the morning. I have a feeling we set it right near the bunnies burrow.” Shaking her head, she grabbed Will's hand, “Come dear, it’s not good to be out and about this time of night.” Will nodded and let his mother lead him back to their home, hoping she wouldn't feel his shaking hands.
Will struggled falling asleep that night, running over the conversation with Nico. Even in years with poor yield the boy had always done well for himself. He wasn’t lying when he said he knew more about the forest than anyone, he knew where the game was hiding, where the wild berries grew. If he couldn't find food it could only mean one thing- There was nothing left to find.
Will had strange dreams in the night. He dreamt he was looking out his kitchen window, watching a dark green fog roll out of the forest. He tried to wake his siblings up but was getting lost in his own home, all the corridors and rooms were unfamiliar. Eventually he gave up and ran out of the house alone. He tried his best to outrun the smoke but kept tripping over his feet, unable to take even a few steps. The last thing he saw was the green fog turn into an ocean wave and rise up above him, ready to swallow him whole.
He woke up in a cold sweat, heaving and shaky. Staring at the ceiling for a long while, he caught his breath as light filtered through his bedroom window. The morning birds whistled and sang on the high branches as the sun rose behind them. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, Will got dressed and padded downstairs. His brother, Michael, was there, slinging a trap bag over his shoulder.
“Morning Will,” Micheal turned to face him, eyes widening, “you look like death himself, what happened?”
Will shook his head and a seat. “Bad dream.”
Michael nodded, “Well mama’s having me move the trap behind the garden further into the woods. Do you want to come? I could use the extra hands.” Will's first instinct was to decline, he almost always had other work to do. His morning was free, though, and could use some time with his brother.
“Yeah, I can help out.” He said weakly, grabbing a quick breakfast of bread and butter. His brother looked pleasantly surprised and finished packing.
They went out first to the collapsed net by the garden. His brother kneeled and began picking it up before furrowing his brow. He crumbled some dirt between his fingers, and smelled it. Wrinkling his nose he waved Will to do the same. Will tentatively kneeled down and inspected the dirt.
He looked at his brother with confusion, “It smells sweet, like vanilla? Our vanilla is on the opposite side of the garden.” Will said, looking across their field.
“Fey residue, it must've been around here last night.” His brother explained with a disgusted face. “Shame we couldn't have caught that thing instead.”
Will didn't know what to say so he just nodded. He thought back to the Nicos sunken, desperate eyes and found it hard to be angry with someone so pitiful.
Packing up the rope they started to venture deeper in the woods. He was no expert on setting traps but his brother seemed to be acting strange. He would start walking in one direction, before stopping for a moment, then walking in another. After about 20 minutes of this, they were deeper in the forest than Will had ever been.
“Do you have a specific spot in mind for the trap?” WIll asked casually. His brother nodded, pushing a branch back and walking deeper. “Wherever the prey spends the most time. You have to know how to find it though."
Will hummed in acknowledgment and followed his brother. Not too much later they found a clearing in the woods. The hole in the canopy let light reach the forest floor, making the grass lush, covered in flowers and fungi. The air smelled sweet and the bushes nearby rustled with small fauna. Will spun around, immediately spotting a lilac bush and wild berries.
“This is amazing!” Will exclaimed, leaning down to pick a wild poppy. The resources here could make a whole batch of remedies and tinctures.
“Dont.” His brother blocked his hand before it touched the flower. “Dont touch anything.” Michael whispered, looking around paranoid. Will's stomach dropped, he carefully straightened up and looked around too.
Seeing Will's fear, Michael put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, we're not in danger. It's just that if you mess up the area too much the animal will grow suspicious. They’ll end up abandoning the area altogether. We need to leave it as untouched as possible. Look around for somewhere we could hide the trap. We want something with a lot of hanging foliage and vines.”
Will looked around, planning the rare step before making it. Catching sight of a willow tree on the outskirts of the clearing he tapped Michael's shoulder. Looking over, Michael grinned and nodded. The two quietly made their way to the trunk and began rigging the net.
In the end they took a step back and admired their handiwork. Will had to admit it looked good, from most angles it was virtually invisible. His stomach growled imagining the deer and turkeys that would catch them.
Will was annoyed at himself for letting Nico scare him, there were plenty of things to eat in these woods and if anyone could find them it was Michael. Nico was probably using some illusion to look skinny and feeble to gain sympathy. It's not like Will knew all the tricks the boy had up his sleeve.
Micheal gave a quiet, incredulous laugh. “I should bring you along more often, Will, this is some of my best work.” Will smiled, maybe he should join Michael more.
“Shit, we need to leave,” Michael said, looking up at the sky. Will followed his gaze but didn't see anything, it wasn't as if nightfall was coming. The sky was cloudless and looked about midday. Before he could ask Michael what the problem was, he grabbed Will's hand and expertly led him out of the forest. They moved quickly but efficiently. Will stayed quiet, letting his brother guide him.
It wasn't until they made it back to their garden that Michael let go of Will's wrist. They both just stood for a few moments, catching their breath. “What's the rush?” WIll finally asked.
Will was unsettled by the mischievous glint in Michael's eye. “If you do this long enough you realize all game is predictable. Good hunters know where what animals will be and when. Great hunters know where not to be and when.”
Will didn't know quite what that meant but hummed in agreement anyway, “So what do you think we’ll get?” He asked excitedly as they walked towards the house. Michael stopped as they reached a fork in the path.
“You’ll see,” he said with a wink before turning and heading into town. Will stood for a few moments, trying to solve Michael's many riddles. Eventually he just shook his head and followed the path back home.
When he arrived his mother was already working with a young woman who had started coming to them regularly for headaches and fevers. “Hello Ms. Levesque,” Will greeted warmly, washing his hands in the sink before joining his mother.
Later, in the afternoon, Will and his mother had said their goodbyes to the Levesque girl and were preparing lunch. It was supposed to be a rabbit stew, but was closer to water and potatoes with a few measly bits of rabbit as garnish.
His sister flung open the kitchen door and proudly held a small dove, limp and upside down in her hand. Will laughed, “Nice job, Kayla! You’re becoming a real threat with that bow.” The girl grinned so hard Will could see her back teeth. His mother took the bird from her and kissed her head. “Great catch, honey, I’ll cook it up with mushroom and parsley for dinner, just how you like it.” She promised.
Will and Kayla served themselves and took seats at the table, digging in as their mother looked out the front door. “I wonder where your brother is? You were with him earlier Will,” His mother turned to him, “did he say where he would be?” Will shook his head, mouth full of stew.
“I saw him and the Stoll brothers going into the woods about an hour ago.” Kayla said, spitting out small chunks of potato as she spoke.
“What was he doing with them?” Naomi asked, eyebrows knit.
Will grimaced beside Kayla as her spoon dripped soup onto the table. He gave her an elbow jab for her poor manners. In retaliation she elbowed him harder.
“Dont elbow me!” She complained.
“Well don't eat like a feral dog. You're getting carrot chunks on my table,” Will motioned to the dirtied table with his head.
The girl scoffed. “Your table? Last I checked it was an apothecary table not an apothecary's errand boy’s table,” Kayla mocked. Will’s face scrunched up and he opened his mouth ready to retaliate. He already had some material ready about her puny dove. Before he had the chance, though, his mother cut them off.
“Stop it, you two! Kayla I asked you a question, what was Michael doing with the Stolls?” Naomi left the doorway and stood across from them, hands on the table.
Kayla turned away from Will with a bashful expression. “Sorry mama. It looked like they were going to clear out some brush.”
Their mother straightened up, confused, and looked out the window behind them, “Clear brush? What would make you think that?”
“Well they were holding the nice iron tools we use to make more farming space. A hatchet and scythe I think.” She said, going back to eating.
“Why would they be clearing brush with a scythe,” Will asked Kayla. She glared and put her hand on her hip, “ask Michael, I’m just telling you what I saw.” She said with a ‘hmph’.Will just rolled his eyes.
“They wouldn't be.” Naomi said under her breath. Just then they heard the distinctive hoots and hollers and Michael and his friends coming from the village, along with general commotion. Naimo ran up to the window, craned her head and ran out the door, face going pale.
Will and Kayla looked at each other and followed their mother out the door in an instant. They ran down the path and pushed their way past a large crowd gathered in the village square. There, they saw the three boys suspending a rope between them holding a full net. The animal inside was wriggling and snarling so much that Will couldn't get a good look at it.
One of the Stoll twins pressed an iron dagger near the netting. The creature hissed and tried to stretch away as if the mere presence of the weapon was agonizing. Its muscles tightened and tensed. Will strained his eyes, trying to make out the strange figure. Just then, two familiar eyes met his. They quickly squeezed closed in pain, kicking and thrashing as the boys laughed. Will felt the ground under him grow unsteady, rolling like cloth over water. The world started rushing past him, Nico and the boy holding him getting larger and larger until they completely filled Will's field of vision.
He faintly registered his mother and sisters' shouts behind him, demanding he come back. His legs didn't stop moving until he had collided with the boy tormenting Nico. With a shocked squeak from the Stoll, they made contact and both hit the brick ground hard.