Mitch rested, eyes half-lidded, as he leaned against the stone wall. The beast wasn't back yet.

The sound of footsteps broke him out of his daze. Rob stood there, eyebrow raised, frowning.

"... Rob?"

The taller man kicked the bones aside with a clatter, drawing an arrow out of his quiver and putting it on his bow, aiming at the younger.

"Rob?!" Mitch whispered, pale.

+Growwwllll+

The beast appeared, fangs bared. For once, Mitch was happy to see its furry hide.

Rob sighed and lowered his bow, turning to leave.

"... You'll wish I had killed you instead."

"..."

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

Vikk was considering something very dangerous. He wanted to. He really wanted to.

He wanted to show himself.

Not to everyone! Not to everyone, just to Lachlan... And, he supposed, those children.

He finished cleaning the blood off his bone knife, sliding it into his mask. He glanced at the looted corpse, then shrugged and left it behind.

He found them again, grateful that they had left Rob's home, then mentally chafed himself for being happy about that. When they stopped in a clearing, he dropped to the ground. Then, without looking to see if they were following, sprinted off, leaving a trail of footprints to lead them to his home.

He rested on a rock, facing away from the hidden entrance, and heard them clamor outside. He stuck a hand out to beckon them in, then stood by his weapons.

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~
Lachlan went in first, unsure of the stalker's intentions. It was too dark to see, so when the boys filed in, he lit a torch.

The dark figure glanced at him, then hung his head, trying to hide his face.

"Vikk?" Tobi asked, starting forward. A white dagger landed at his feet, and he stumbled to a stop.

"...Don't," he said, accent evident as the threat. He paused, as if choosing his words and their weight carefully, then tugged his mask even higher.

"You may stay here as long as you like. Call it your own home. But don't tell anyone about this."

"What if we do?" Ethn said boldly, then shied back when the male glared at him.

"I'll kill them. And I won't hesitate to kill you all, either. Be grateful for the home and don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine. Got it?"

He bent down to pick up the blade, slipping it inside his mask, then turned to leave.

"No!" Harry protested, and he and the other 'Sidemen' tackled Vikk in a hug.

"Hey!!!" The dark male said- struggling- but to no avail. He finally gave up, turning to Lachlan.

"Are they always like this?!"

"Yyyeeeep."

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~
Preston lay in the flowers, thinking back to a few hours ago.

'Rob's killed more people than you can count.'

He shivered. He still didn't know whether to trust this informer or not, but it made sense. The secrecy, the weapons, his age...

The blood.

But Rob's nice! His inner thoughts protested, and Preston flushed a bit. He didn't want to leave, heck, he was crushing on the guy! But if he was a murderer...

Preston rolled over to a green-blue flower, observing it to try to get this mind off the unpleasant thoughts that circled him like buzzards.

"I wish I knew more about him," he whispered to it, then rolled away again. "I really do..."

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~
The beast curled up around Mitch possessively, claws scratching at the rough floor. His prey let out a whimper.

Glancing up at him, it realized he was on the verge of tears. His face was red and his eyes were watery.

"..." It opened its mouth, then shut it with a snap, trying to plot a course of action. It finally settled on rising to swipe its rough, wet tongue over the boy's cheek.

Mitch stared at it for a second, at its serious expression and steel grey eyes.

Then he burst out laughing.

The beast stared at him confusedly, baring its fangs slightly at the unexpected sound. The boy finished, giggling to a stop and wiping his tears away.

"S-sorry, you j-just looked so s-serious!" He laughed again, patting the beast's flanks lightly.

The beast rolled its eyes, but felt an odd stirring within him.

...not him. It.

Right...?