True bonds are forged in the fire of shared trials.
Mica remembered the day they met clearly. His mother had decided to visit her sister and insisted that Mica and Joz accompany her. The boys were in no mood to go, and this was compounded by their mother announcing that her sister also had two sons, the younger of whom was the same age as Joz. Mica could barely tolerate his own brother, let alone deal with another boy his age.
Nevertheless, on the day of the trip, he felt a mix of curiosity and excitement. His mother had recently heard rumors that the older boy was a famously talented novice, but little did Mica know that it wouldn't be the talented rookie who would surprise him the most.
After a two-hour drive, his mother's car pulled up in front of a small, grey house. The next moment, the car roof banged loudly, and the three passengers jumped out almost reflexively.
Mica spotted him immediately: a boy standing upright. He was shocked—it was just a kid. The boy was short, with a frail build and a face that was both beautiful and cold, and well—dirty.
For a moment, Mica stared into his impossibly blue eyes. Then, with a hiss of annoyance, the boy jumped off the cart and ran. His movements were unusually swift, and he disappeared into the twilight's shadows. Mica stared at the spot where he had last seen him, feeling both bewildered and intrigued.
To Mica's utmost disappointment, he didn't get to meet the genius novice but only his aunt. The mysterious kid, whom no one seemed to care about, didn't show up until late at night, and no one went looking for him. Mica only knew he was home by the soft sound of the shower.
Mica sat up on the sofa, glancing at his sleeping brother. Not that he had to worry about being seen—once Joz had closed his eyes, he wouldn't wake up even if a horde of trolls ran through the house. After the shower stopped, Mica, driven by curiosity, decided to investigate.
By the time he reached the bathroom, there was no sign of the boy. The noise was now coming from the kitchen. He stepped into the room and found someone holding a knife to his stomach.
Mica recognized the flickering eyes immediately, almost glowing in the dark. The boy's gaze seemed slightly confused, but upon recognizing Mica, he slowly withdrew the butter knife and pushed close the microwave, which began to hum softly. Mica flicked on the light.
"My name is Mica," he said, extending his hand to the boy.
The boy gave him a disdainful look. Mica was surprised at how effectively someone could look down on him, despite being shorter. As soon as the cocoa was ready, the boy retreated, and Mica didn't see him at breakfast or lunch. Where could he have disappeared to?
Mica was quieter than usual, his thoughts consumed by the mysterious boy.
His mother's bubbling laughter brought him back to reality. "He's a charming boy, isn't he?"
Mica furrowed his brows. "Charming? He's rather wild and... strange."
His mother took a few sips of her tea and then stared at the steaming liquid remaining in her cup. "Yep, that boy is a real wild one. He refuses to stay in the house, even sleeps in the nearby woods, and only comes home to check if his brother has arrived," she laughed. "Did you notice? He won't even put on his shoes!"
"Is he crazy?" Mica frowned. He had never seen anything like him.
"He's just different. Not quite human," his mother said.
Mica's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"Why don't you find out for yourself?" his mother giggled. "I'm sure you'll make friends with him."
"No way!" Mica hissed.
His mother just giggled and then smiled knowingly, sipping her tea quietly. Mica was absolutely convinced the crafty woman was up to something again. He would have bet his life on it. He didn't have to wait long—just until dinner when his mother flashed a smile that revealed her teeth.
"Mica, my dear…"
"Hm?"
"Will you find Shay for me?" she asked.
"Why should I go looking for him? You look for him if you want to see him so much," Mica growled.
His mother caught his ear and made an offended grimace. "Now, don't be like that!"
"If I find him, will you leave me alone?" Mica asked, putting down the book he had been reading.
Without waiting for his mother's reply, he headed for the front door.
"I'll leave him in your care from now on, okay?" he heard his mother call after him.
"As if I care…" Mica muttered as he stepped out into the night.
It was the end of autumn, and it was freezing cold. He recalled that the last time he saw the boy, he was wearing only a knitted sweater. He must have put something on, he thought.
Mica had no idea where to look for the boy. His mother mentioned he slept in the woods, but seriously? The woods were just a five-minute walk from his aunt's house. Mica hesitated; the place didn't seem very welcoming, especially not at night. But then he ventured into the thicket of trees, reasoning that he had faced scarier things than a forest or its wildlife. He carried a knife in his shoe but would have traded it for a flashlight, as it was pitch black.
After trudging along stubbornly for nearly half an hour, Mica realized he was lost.
"Where did that damn kid go?" he muttered, tugging at his hair.
An animalistic growl echoed from nearby. Perhaps speaking so loudly wasn't a good idea. Suddenly, a pair of feral eyes focused on him, with white fangs flashing menacingly. One of the figures, which he had initially mistaken for wolves, stood up and started towards him.
Another growl, different from the others, followed. The animals, initially aggressive, now retreated swiftly
"What are you doing here?" a sharp voice demanded.
Mica looked up, startled, to find the boy's flickering irises among the shadows of the dogs. Surprised, he was momentarily speechless.
"I asked you a question," the boy insisted.
"I've come for you," Mica finally managed to say.
The boy laughed sharply.
"For me?" His frosty gaze was almost piercing. "I'm not going back."
Mica, though seven years older than the boy, felt that look would have scared even the most seasoned hunter. Realizing he had lost the battle, he turned to leave, only to change his mind and turn back.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" he asked. "It's freezing cold."
The boy's eyes widened slightly but only for a moment.
"That's what the dogs are for. They keep me warm," he replied as if he were born with that mocking tone, or maybe he reserved it just for Mica.
"Now go," he added, then closed his eyes.
Mica walked back, only to realize later that he didn't know the way. He began to resign himself to the possibility of wandering until morning when he heard a bark from behind him.
A dachshund sat less than a meter away, looking expectantly in his direction. Mica approached it, and when he got close, the dog jumped up and began walking slowly. Mica decided it was better to follow it than stumble around aimlessly for hours.
After nearly half an hour, he was completely frozen when they reached the edge of the forest. Relieved, he sighed deeply. He wanted to pet the dog for helping him out, but it was nowhere to be seen.
The next day, Mica woke up early but didn't want to get out of bed. He knew exactly what was waiting for him; he knew his mother well. Finally, he got up to brush his teeth.
"Good morning, darling," his mother kissed him on the top of his head as she searched for her hairbrush.
When she had finished, before leaving the bathroom, she added, "Oh, and honey, bring the kid home. No lunch till then." She even winked at him, and Mica almost swallowed his toothbrush. That witch!
After breakfast, Mica's first trip was back to the woods. He thought he'd looked around every corner, but he couldn't find the wretched kid. He heard a low giggle above his head and immediately looked up. He couldn't believe his eyes; the kid was so high up!
"You again?" the boy said to him, then did something Mica had never dreamed of. He jumped from the top of the tree. For a few moments, he floated as if he were flying, then landed in front of Mica. Mica was stunned and couldn't speak at first, but the next moment he was screaming.
"Are you mad? How could you even think of jumping from there?! Weren't you hurt? Are you all right?"
He managed to surprise the boy again with his outburst. Then, after a moment of shock, the boy's face became bored. "You're annoying."
"How can you be so calm?!" Mica growled. "That was at least ten meters! You're insane!"
"You're right, I'm insane," the boy repeated rolling his eyes, "I'm not human, you idiot!"
The kid took the knife from Mica's shoe, the one his father had given him and he always carried it with him. Then he dragged the shiny blade across his own palm. Mica gasped and was on the verge of another outburst, but when the boy took the blade from his hand, the wound healed almost instantly—so quickly that Mica forgot to scream.
"See?" the kid began mockingly, "I'm not human. Disgusting, isn't it?"
"What?" said Mica without thinking, looking at the boy with sparkling eyes. "This is awesome!"
For a moment the boy was silent as if astonished.
"You're annoying," he concluded, yet he couldn't hide the relief and gratitude in his eyes, which completely contradicted his words.
"Are you immortal?" Mica asked excitedly.
"Are you an idiot?" the kid frowned. "Immortality doesn't exist."
"So you have other powers?" Mica asked firmly.
"Powers?" the boy repeated.
"Like... Don't you have magic? Or super strength? Or maybe you can talk to animals? Really, the other day your dog accompanied me... Where are your dogs now?" Mica hissed.
"You really are an idiot," the boy declared.
"Stop being so rude!" Mica growled and grabbed the boy by the arm. "I'll ask you more questions after lunch. Now let's go!"
The forest buzzed with the boy's protests.
That day, Mica ate the dessert his mother had placed in front of him with the joy of winning the finest prize.
They had already spent a week at the house, and Mica was getting to know Shay better. He realized that Shay was a person, prickly on the outside but buttery on the inside. In fact, Mica found that he liked people like that—or at least he certainly liked Shay. He thought he'd made great progress, having managed to get Shay to show up for meals, finally wear shoes like a normal person, and spend the night at home.
Well, the latter was more problematic, as he learned that he had taken his bed. So this is how it happened that they had to share the same bed. And this very simple thing was the cause of the disaster.
"How dare you touch my adorable brother!" someone shouted in his ear.
Mica's eyes snapped open, and he sat up suddenly in bed, but all he managed to do was successfully headbutt the other. They both stroked their foreheads while Shay complained sleepily about being surrounded by idiots. Then, Shay suddenly jumped out of bed and hugged the intruder. Mica saw him smile for the first time in his life.
"Welcome home!"
"He didn't do anything to you, did he? Did he hurt you or threaten you?"
Shay shook his head, but the other gave Mica a suspicious look.
"I just didn't want him to sleep in the woods," Mica shrugged, offended.
"You were in the woods again?" the strange boy questioned his brother reprovingly.
"You know I don't like to be at home when you're on a mission," said Shay ruefully.
"Well, there's nothing to be done," the other ruffled his hair.
With that, the boy stepped past Shay and stopped in front of Mica. He stared at him for a moment, then smiled smugly.
"I am Dénes Roubál. If you touch my adorable little brother, I'll kill you. Pleased to meet you," he said with a dangerous grin, squeezing Mica's hand with a force that made Mica think the other was going to break his bones.
He was only two years younger than Mica, and yet he was so strong... And an asshole. And worse than that, an asshole with a sibling complex.
Mica finally, after proving to the novice hunter that he meant his brother no harm, was accepted by him, and when they went home for the weekend, the asshole even cried. Shay took it better than that, though, as he was busy trying to get his brother off of himself before he got completely drenched in tears.
This is how it happened that Mica found himself returning to the odd brothers on each holiday—in fact, sometimes even when there was no reason to. Then, as time went on, on one of these occasions, he became Shay's babysitter.
The kid suddenly developed a mania for climbing to the highest possible places and jumping off. Mica would usually either catch him or at least try to catch him and lecture him after he landed.
Yet, for some reason, deep in his heart, he thought there was something wonderful about Shay's jumps—it was as if he were flying. Mica believed that some people are given wings at birth, and he believed that Shay was one of them. In any case, that didn't mean Shay didn't get his lecture for his actions.
"What was that for?!" Mica asked angrily.
Shay just shrugged. "I heal anyway."
Mica snorted. Shay was a real headache. Worse than Joz at his worst.
The next time they went into the woods, Shay was in the river jumping around with his dogs. Mica also learned after a few encounters that they were strays that Shay had just picked up. Mica really had no idea why the dogs stayed with him, and even made him pack leader when he wouldn't even give them food—when they weren't with him, they were meeting this basic need.
The pack that gathered around Shay was very diverse, the smallest member being the black dachshund, but there was also the odd golden retriever mix—which Shay preferred as a pillow, as it had the silkiest fur—and then there was the German shepherd, which seemed the oldest and smartest of the bunch, while the foxhound mix seemed the most playful and unruly.
Even after three years, this little group still looked sharply in Mica's direction whenever he moved or touched Shay—at least they had become used to his presence enough over the years not to watch his every move with their snow-white fangs bared, and had even given up the low, warning growls.
Speaking of growls, to Mica's dismay, this was how Shay communicated with his little pack, and when he would occasionally growl, the dogs would immediately surrender. When the dogs wanted to attack Mica a quiet growl was enough to discourage them.
So finally, even the dogs didn't stop Mica from picking Shay up on his shoulders and carrying him home for lunch. Sure, the other one kept yelling, but Mica knew that if he really minded, he could break free of his grip in a heartbeat.
At the time, he thought it would last forever—that they would be friends forever. He thought that until his seventeenth birthday when he was turned into a vampire.
Mica ran away after that night. It was the first time that he had not gone to find Shay, but the other way around. When Shay finally found him, Mica was ashamed of his tears, but Shay only smiled faintly—the first true smile Mica had ever received.
There was no pity or disgust in his look; Shay was the only one who had the faintest idea of what Mica was going through. His eyes reflected only understanding and concern, and Mica felt again the tears squeezing his throat and prickling his eyes.
For hours he merely sobbed, holding Shay, his tears mourning his old life and the human he could have been. He knew that everything would change. It was also clear to him that he and Shay were no longer friends; they had become so much more than that: comrades in fate. Mica understood that among hunters, they could only trust each other.
Something had developed between them then that neither of them could have explained. If he had wanted to compare it to something, it would be how one felt about a fellow who shared his fate. People who, although they had taken different paths overall, there were crossroads where they met. Such people have a special devotion and care for each other because they understand each other's pain.
Mica looked out of the train window—he would be arriving soon.
(...)
The morning passed in silence. Alex was deep in thought. In the morning, as he rummaged through his bedside table for a bottle of antipyrine, a ring caught his eye. The fae ring, to be precise. He was surprised, for it came with a one-line message.
[Take good care of it and use it wisely.]
But no matter how the wolf thought about it, there were too many pieces missing from the puzzle. All he knew for sure was that the fae ring was a huge advantage. He munched on the scrambled eggs and vegetables.
Rolo was still grumbling after his visit to Ruben, especially as he couldn't find anything in the information that would be of use to him. But he did occasionally have a spoonful of his oatmeal.
Des's mood was shit, to say the least, and if anyone dared to speak to him, he would growl like a dog that got rabies. All he could do was eat his fried eggs, imagining he was slicing up his enemies with such despicable precision. I must say, it was terrifying.
Alice's worried gaze was on the people at the table, though his eyes spent most of their time on the hunter sitting next to him. He sighed deeply and took a sip of his cold tea.
Coffee sipped her black beverage as calmly and as unhurriedly as possible.
Mose was spreading orange marmalade on his toast and occasionally glancing searchingly at the odd group.
Mica stood in the kitchen doorway, stunned. His gaze could not let go of a figure calmly sitting at the table. When he got over his shock, he finally spoke. "Hello, everyone."
Des snorted, Alice nodded, Coffee ignored him (or at least she was pretending), Alex sent him a weak smile, while Rolo muttered something unintelligible under his breath that the vampire might as well have taken for a greeting.
Moses was standing up to introduce himself and held out his hand to the vampire. Mica looked confused for a moment, then seemed to accept his hand anyway—but at the last moment, he grabbed his wrist instead.
"Can I have a word with you?" he stated instead of asking, and then, without any explanation, pulled Mose along behind him.
Alex stood up with a puzzled expression and was about to question the vampire when Des spoke. He alone did not look surprised.
"Leave it."
All eyes were on him.
"I don't know, Mica didn't seem very happy to meet the guy," the wolf countered.
"I suppose so," Des agreed, rocking in his chair, "I wasn't too happy to see him either."
"What?" the wolf was shocked.
Everyone gaped at the hunter, their eyes wide with shock.
"Who's this kid?" growled Rolo in disgust.
It's not like he had beef with Mose. Let's just say everyone was antipathetic to him.
Alex would have grinned at the cat calling Mose a kid, but he was too nervous.
"He was the first person... to betray my brother's trust."