Dark Hunger

Cole got up from his place and started walking towards the man. Those intense blue eyes beckoned him. It was like an invisible thread that was pulling him towards the man. His aura was… magnetic. Entranced, flustered and curious, Cole wanted to reach out to him. He had never felt this connection with anyone. It was absolutely irrational. Was it a figment of his imagination?

Cole couldn't break his gaze from the man. He ran his fingers in his hair as his complexion became ruddy. He increased his pace and wondered if he had broken into a marathon. It was as if his feet had developed their own mind. This was the same man who had saved him from those unruly boys. He had dropped him back to his home. His face was etched in his memory forever. He had met him only once after that and that was for a brief period. He had never had the chance to say thanks. His lips parted in anticipation of talking to him. "You—" he shouted as his feet broke into a full speed. "I wanted to—" However, the moment he was barely twenty feet away, a green haze gathered around the man. It swirled around him, revealing parts of his body like hide and seek. 

"Wait!" Cole shouted and increased his speed to reach him before he disappeared. He was so used to the Lore antics that he was fed up with them. He knew that the man was about to disappear. "Wait! Please don't go!" he almost yelled. 

But the haze thickened. It covered his chest, his shoulders and his face. Only those intense blue eyes were visible—ones that hadn't blinked even for a moment, hadn't stopped looking at him… The green haze covered him completely and before Cole could reach him, the haze pulsed and dissipated, taking the man with him. "No!" Cole shouted, fighting the remnants of the haze. "Come back!" He was breathless. This couldn't be. He shook his head and grasped his hair. This couldn't be. He spun around to see if what he witnessed was true or not. Wisps of green haze touched his skin and then disappeared in the air like they were never there. He stumbled towards the tree to lean, shocked. Why did he feel that he was missing the man already? His wide eyes flitted everywhere to locate the man, to locate a trace of him, but there was nothing. His chest heaved and did he feel wetness over his cheeks? Cole closed his eyes and leaned his back against the tree. He tipped his head up and closed his eyes. There were a thousand questions that bounced in his mind. 

--- 

The vow to the Lore. 

Auril was sitting on his bed, shaking his head. He held his head in his hands, his face ruddy. Once the noises on the outside had faded, he could lift the flap and walk out. He had walked away from the settlement and then went to stand as far as possible and as near as he could. And then he waited for Cole to come out. All he wanted was to see him just once. His eyes were fixed on the tent where they were all sitting. When the flap of the tent moved, his heart accelerated and when Cole emerged from it, his heart skipped a beat, his breath lodged in his throat. 

Wearing a dirty rugby jersey, the boy was least bothered about the world around him. He had grown into a handsome teenager. Auril was expecting the same thirteen year old boy with chubby cheeks and awkwardness around him, but Cole—he had grown out of it all. He had grown muscles in all the right places. His lean figure was like that of an athlete, yet he had all the cuteness of a young boy. Auril couldn't help but feel proud of him. The pull towards him was very strong. It was as if every drop of blood acted like a magnet. It was as if even if he was in the depths of hell, he would find this boy. His eyes fixed on Cole and the world disappeared around him. He stood there under the tree as he watched the boy eat food. He had put his hands in his pocket and had frozen in his place as his heart and his mind dazed out. And at that moment the druid prince knew that he would wait for the next two years to find out whether what he felt for Cole was right or not. 

He was not expecting it, but Cole's gaze fell on him and then the boy started running towards him. Auril wanted to stay there. He wanted to talk to Cole. He knew that Cole had recognized and that was more than enough for him. He felt lighter, he felt heavier, he felt he could float in the air… 

You! Cole had shouted. Auril wanted to smile but perhaps even his lips had frozen. All at once he caught the smell of green leaves. It was as if someone had pasted them and then set on fire. The haze started blanketing him. It grew thicker and thicker. He knew that he would soon be covered with it, and so he continued to stare at Cole till he was completely covered by it. When the haze had fully surrounded him, he closed his eyes waiting for the vow to kick in. He felt his body mingling with the haze and the next moment he found himself in his tent. It was a vow to the Lore and the Lore had its ways to fulfill it. 

Before he realized, drops of tears fell on his pants. But there was a smile on his face. The mission that he had started with from his home had been fulfilled. Now he would go to his mother and come what may, he would tell her his true intentions. He didn't want to keep her in the dark. It wasn't right. And after that if his mother decided to throw him out of Zelena forever, he was ready for it. 

Back in Caleb's tent, Daryn was talking about Auril. "What kind of a man is the druid prince?" he asked, feeling like he was Cole's father. He was assured that Caleb had made him vow to the Lore to not go near Cole. 

"He is good. Helped me with combating the demons," said Caleb. He narrated Auril's story to Daryn and in the end said, "I think it is better that we let Cole and Auril decide for themselves once Cole is eighteen. I am afraid but I wouldn't meddle if the two of them turn out to be mates." 

"If Cole is Auril's mate, then no one can interfere and I wouldn't want them separated," Daryn replied. After a moment of awkward pause, he said, "Would Auril like to come and work in our firm?"

Caleb chuckled. "I highly doubt that. His mother wants him to marry the nymph and he thinks that after getting him married, she would give him the throne." 

"Ah, I see!" Daryn said, a flicker of surprise rising in him.. "So, tell me about this demon business."