The ringing in Eli's ears slowly brought him to consciousness. His tail fluttered rapidly as he rubbed his eyes and slowly opened them.

There was a sharp pain in his neck and he winced, trying not to focus on the stinging. There was something important that had happened, but he couldn't remember.

He slowly opened his eyes and immediately noticed a nearby figure. He quickly recognized the golden hair. It was Liam.

Not only did he notice Liam, but he was… in his home?

Eli sat up slowly in his straw bedding, pain causing black dots to swim through his vision. He felt exhausted and stiff, though his memory was too fuzzy to tell him why.

"Eli?" Liam looked over his shoulder, relief audible in his voice. He slowly stood, bent forward due to the low ceiling.

Liam had a large bloody wound on his face, dried blood sealed the claw marks. His hair was much shorter now, reaching down to his mid-back in fluffy waves. His right side was entirely burnt to bits, the flesh red, raw and bubbly. His working eye was full of worry and relief.

"I'm so sorry, Eli!" He looked down and shook his head in defeat.

"Sorry for what?"

"This is my fault… I couldn't save you… you're injured and it's my fault…"

Eli's brows furrowed and he looked up at Liam "But… how did I get here? What happened?" A small flash of the night before jogged his memory. "Did you kill the fox?"

Liam's gaze trailed off and something dark hid beneath it. "I… I don't want to talk about it… but your family knows now… about me… and you…" He sighed and sat down next to Eli's bed, resting his head on Eli's lap like a dog wanting to be pet. Eli complied and gently stroked his lover's ears and hair. "They're afraid of me… so they won't hurt you for it… but they said they'll discuss it with you… I don't… I don't think they want us to meet anymore…"

"What do you mean? We never cared about them before… just… just go home and meet me again like usual… we don't need to listen to them… we can keep doing what we're doing!"

"Eli-"

"No! Listen to me, Liam! We can keep meeting! No matter what… no one can separate us… we can even run if we have to…"

Liam sighed and stared at him before looking away. Everything felt different… empty…. that fox had changed him. "Okay… fine… I just… I need to go home… My father will be furious about my hair… and… and I need to have my wounds healed." He stood again "I'll see you around, Eli… I'll need a week… then we can start meeting again…"

"But your coming of age is…"

"We can be together afterwards…"

Eli blinked and frowned, then nodded. Liam had a right to have his own life after all… romance wasn't everything. "I love you, Liam…"

Liam paused and looked at Eli for a long moment with furrowed brows "I love you too, Elliott…" He said before leaving the little deer with the burning sensation in his chest.