Faun

As the omega’s voice washed over him, Faun instantly recognized the intruder.

“I know you,” Faun took a half step forward. “You were talking to someone outside my door this morning.”

So, this was the omega, the one that sounded distressed. What the hell happened to him? Where was his Alpha?

Faun’s words made the other omega bristle in fear. Two round ears, previously hidden by shaggy hair, swiveled in alarm.

A bear omega?

“Oh, no-no-no. That means he knows I'm here! What the hell am I gonna do?” The frazzled omega pulled at the roots of his hair, hyperventilating slightly. 

Cautiously, Faun took a step closer to the terrified man. 

“Who knows, you're here?” 

The omega snapped his head toward Faun. “Your Alpha. If he finds me, he’ll kill me.”

A cold, slimy feeling slithered through Faun’s gut.

“My Alpha won’t hurt you, I swear. Let’s just calm down and talk about why you’re in my home.” Faun tried to put authority in his voice, but a harsh look from the omega made it waver. 

“You’re right, your Alpha won’t just kill me. He’ll make me suffer first, for even going near you.” The omega tapped a thin finger into Faun’s narrow chest. 

“What are you talking about? Why are you so scared that my Alpha’s going to hurt you, he-”

“Oh, because your Alpha is such a nice guy? A real pacifist, huh? That's news to me!” 

Faun fell silent at the man's sudden frenzy. The bear-like man panted loudly before his entire body seemed to slump inwards. Faun just watched with a mix of fear and empathy as the other omega shuffled despondently into a kitchen chair. The rough-looking young man held his head in his hands for a moment before releasing a pained noise.

Against his will, Faun felt his heart wrench at the sight.

What on Earth happened to this omega? And what does it have to do with Kai?

Determined to figure out this odd mystery, Faun pulled up a chair next to the now quiet omega. 

Turning himself to face the obviously distressed man, Faun gently asked, “What happened?”

Instead of answering, the omega harshly swiped at his eyes, only irritating them further.

The young man took a handful of minutes to compose himself before he began speaking with a watery voice.

“I had two pups this spring. Twins. My Alpha was so happy, so hellbent on giving his family the best. Our den wasn’t big enough for the four of us, so he moved us to a new territory. My Alpha was determined to make our home out here,” the man’s eyes darkened, before continuing. “We didn’t know this was your Alpha’s territory.” 

Faun felt his hands clench. 

“I’d heard rumors of a snake-like Alpha. A beast so territorial that he would kill and maim anyone that neared his land. Eventually, his territory grew so large that others had no choice but to stay. They had nowhere else to go. To those few, the Alpha gave permission to live on his land, but the price was heavy.”

“What was the price?” Faun asked breathlessly. 

The omega let a limp hand flourish towards the walls filled with food to the chests filled with goods.

“Are you saying that my Alpha took all this from people living in his territory?” 

“Of course he did! Where else did you think he got all of this?” The omega threw his arms to encompass the cluttered den.

A dark thought crashed over Faun. “What happened if you couldn’t pay the price to live here?”

“Well, first he takes everything you have. Food, water, I mean everything. After that, if you still can’t pay him in goods, well, then he goes after your Alpha.” 

“How do you know all this?”

The omega finally raised his head, bloodshot eyes meeting Faun's. 

“How do I know? I know because your Alpha robbed us of everything before breaking my Alpha's leg!”

Faun felt bile rise in his throat, but the omega kept going.

“My family made a home in your Alpha’s territory. We didn’t know it was his until it was too late. Now, my Alpha is too injured to even leave our nest. We have no food, no water, nothing!” 

The omega gripped both of Faun’s thin arms. “My pups have nothing to eat!”

The words made every one of Faun’s omegan instincts fire off like fireworks. His entire world narrowed down to one goal.

Protect the pups. Feed the pups. Make sure the pups are safe.

All thoughts of justifying his Alpha's actions flew out the window. Faun was desperate to fix the damage Kai had caused this innocent family.

Mechanically, Faun grabbed the mostly empty bag that the man had been holding earlier. Turning towards the stocked shelves, Faun began stuffing the bag full.

Picking hearty, filling ingredients, Faun dropped item after item into the bag. When the rough-looking sack was near bursting, he thrust it into the omega’s shocked arms.

“Is there anything else you need? Anything at all?”

The omega’s lips thinned. “There was a family heirloom that your Alpha took. It was my mother’s. She snuck in a music box to the Mating Run decades ago. It’s all I have left-” 

Before the omega could finish speaking, Faun was rifling through the bits and bobs on the kitchen table.

When Faun caught sight of the beautiful music box, he felt conflicting instincts.

This was his courting gift. Right? He couldn’t give away a gift his Alpha had given him. Would this mean he was rejecting the courtship?

Before he could change his mind, Faun plunked the box off the table and into the omega's hands. 

“Thank you for doing this! Thank you for helping my family-”

“Don't say that, this is my fault too,” Faun herded the man towards the door. “Please, just take your family and leave. Or stay and hide. I don’t care, just please get out!” Faun felt like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. He needed to be alone. Needed to absorb this new information.

As soon as the omega was gone, Faun crumbled.

Sliding against the wall, Faun curled into a tight ball beside the doorway.

What the hell was he going to do? 

His Alpha had been robbing and attacking helpless families. Faun couldn’t fathom how the hands that had touched him so gently could ruthlessly attack others. Could injure a father! How could the man he planned to start a family with knowingly let pups starve? Just as he had let himself fall for the Alpha’s sweet courtship, it was all crumbling apart. 

Faun worried his lip as he wondered which courting gifts his Alpha had stolen from the other omegas?

Faun felt his stomach roll at the thought of his favorite rabbit sweater being taken from some unlucky omega.

What was Faun going to say to Kai? How could he explain all the missing food? The absent courtship gift?

Faun felt himself switch from emotion to emotion, from distrust to anger, and finally fear.

Would Kai hurt him, too?

Just as the thought occurred to him, the door was opening and two powerful hands were cupping his face. 

“Why are you on the ground, omega?” The Alpha’s nose tipped toward the air, most likely scenting the other man.

“Was someone else here? Did they hurt you?” Large hands were rapidly patting down his sides, checking him for injuries.

When his Alpha began checking between his fingers for any harm, Faun found his voice.

“Another omega was here.” Faun cringed at the nervousness in his voice.

“Oh, why was another omega here, Faun?” His Alpha’s voice was deceptively gentle.

Fighting against his fear, Faun stated clearly, “He came over to collect what you stole from him.”

His Alpha didn’t even blink at the accusation. 

“Sweet Faun,” his Alpha patted his head between his antlers like a puppy. “I never stole from anyone.”

As Faun went to argue, his Alpha tutted at him.

“Let me finish. I didn’t steal from them because there is no such thing as stealing out here.”

"What do you mean? You took food from an innocent family."

Instead of replying, his Alpha gently gripped him under the armpits, pulling him to standing. With an arm snuggly wrapped around Faun's waist, the Alpha gently led him outside into the balmy evening.  

With trepidation, Faun let himself be folded into his Alpha's arms, facing the darkening horizon.

“Look around, Faun. You need to realize the reality of your new home, sweet one.” His Alpha tilted his chin gently toward the dense, never-ending woods around them.

“You aren’t in proper human society anymore. This is the wild, where instinct is the only law we abide by. Out here it’s eat or be eaten.” 

“That doesn't mean you should attack others just because they don’t do what you say.” The statement ended up sounding more like a question.

“Your heart is too kind, Faun. I’m not asking you to change that. I just need you to understand that I’m doing what's best for us.” His Alpha tilted his chin to meet his eyes. “I’m doing what needs to be done to protect our future pups.”

The tender statement chipped at Faun's resolve. The omega timidly let himself soften into his Alpha’s arms. 

“If I'm not at the top of the food chain, someone else will. Someone who won’t be kind enough to give warnings.”

Faun looked pleadingly up at his Alpha. “please don't hurt that omega's family, just let them leave.” 

His Alpha said nothing.

“Please, Kai.” That made his Alpha’s gaze soften.

“Okay, Faun. But just this once. It's not safe to ignore our instincts. Is that understood?”

Faun nodded emphatically, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

Still conflicted, Faun let himself be held until the sky burned orange and stars populated the darkening sky.

When Faun began to rub his bare arms, his Alpha led him back inside. 

Stepping over the threshold, Faun was at a loss on what to do. How could he convince Kai to stop his violent nature? Was that even the solution? Was ensuring his future pups were safe and fed be worth the price of letting someone else's pups go hungry?

Faun pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind to be picked over later. 

An odd flapping noise made Faun's brow furrow. Stopping in the doorway, Faun glanced behind himself.

Looking into the dark sky, Faun spotted a pair of white wings shooting through the gloom towards him.