The madman ducks behind a tree. He’s beat up, bloody, but he has his vials. Whenever they think they’ve got him he heals and takes them by surprise, the damn druids. He long since stopped using tactics that worked on fae, most of them are human. 

He takes a deep breath turning around the tree and fires an arrow. The unsuspecting druid screams as he’s pinned to a tree. Throwing the bow at another one’s head he pulls his knife and goes for their throat. Vines snatch at his ankles, tripping him up. He responds by turning unimpressed and throwing the knife at the one controlling the plant. 

He feels the vines jerk and go limp as the man falls. 

Breathing heavily he realizes that one of the druid’s isn’t attacking, just watching. He would usually finish them off quickly and maybe his nephew was rubbing off on him but he is extremely outnumbered and only the fact that they still aren’t taking him seriously yet is keeping him alive. 

He holds up his hands placatingly and realizes he’s not sure what to say.

“Why aren't you attacking?” he gets to the point.

“Why aren’t you?!” The cloaked figure sounds young. 

He tilts his head, “I need to know where my nephew is.”

“I need to know where-”

The madman checks around him quickly and then approaches the strange cloak, throwing back the hood to see that the individual's mouth has some sort of magic gag over it. 

“Nod yes or no,” he demands, pulling another knife. 

“Do they have my nephew?”

The human nods rapidly eyeing the knife. Repeating him.

“Is he still alive and in one piece?”

Again the mimicking druid nods keeping his hands up.

He sighs and then pulls them both out of sight. “Why are you not fighting with them?” He says mostly to himself.

“Not fighting with them.” The druid student mimics back firmly.

“Oh good you’re clever, are they forcing you to, what become one of them?”

He nods even as he mimics, “Forcing you to what.”

The madman narrows his eyes, collecting his weapons, he looks at the scared druid.

“Can you help me in any way?”

“In any way?” He tilts his head and then gestures to the gag and deeper into the forest.

The madman shrugs, he’d just stab him and hope for the best if this turned out to be a trap.

I wake up to feel the teen rubbing my arm consolingly. He stayed awake crying apparently. I lift my head with a jerk when I realize the angry cloaked individual is leaning against the prison door.

“Your “friend” huh?” He smirks. I narrow my eyes at him and he plays around with his magic ignoring me for a while. “They’re going to make you sacrifice him, they always do.” He shrugs.

“So who did you sacrifice?” I ask and he smiles. 

“Everyone and everything I could, I actually wanted to be a Druid.” 

The teen tenses and grabs my arm, “Don’t tell them anything about anyone we traveled with, they aren’t kidding about the sacrifices.” 

The nice Druid enters and looks I guess at us huddled together and the angry druid being smug because he sighs. “Are you telling people that you sacrificed everyone again, you realize that would include me?” 

He leans in and kisses the angry one who sputters and quickly lowers his voice to mutter something to him. 

“Then stop being a jerk!” The nicer druid exclaims. “Gosh you’re going to make it harder for him to transition into one of us.” He unlocks my cage and enters. 

I stand up and pull my switchblade mostly not wanting to have to use it.

“Woah, woah calm down. I wanted to know if you’d like to stretch your legs. Get something to eat. Maybe let me show you the good parts of being a druid before someone,” He tilts his head to his partner, “Ruins our image.” 

I look over at the boar fae. “Can he come?”

The druid shakes his head, “I have a bad feeling you won’t truly listen to me if he comes along.”

I stand looking at the Druid in front of me. 

“Can I see your face?” I tilt my head. He lifts his hands hesitating for a second. 

“If that’s what it takes for you to start trusting me then fine.” He lowers his hood and my eyes widen a little before narrowing.

He too has parts of the woods covering part of his face. His eyes are averted looking a little shy but also obviously hiding how powerful he is.

“How old are you?” I wonder if they are all immortal.

He tilts his head at me, “Probably a year or two older than you.” 

“Why do you date such an asshole?” I ask and get a glare from the angry Druid.

“Because he is not an asshole to me.” He laughs and offers his hand. I reach forward slowly, genuinely curious about the treetop village. 

I tense as he grips my hand firmly but then relaxes, seeming to catch on that I don’t like touch as much, making it easy to slip my hand away. I let him lead me out of the cage and tense as I pass his partner. We bristle at each other. Then I stop. “Make him promise not to hurt him while I’m gone.” I look back at the boar. He has his head down, ‘is he angry at me?’ 

The nicer Druid looks up at his boyfriend who frowns but mutters, “I promise.”

The nicer one adds, “He can’t do anything to either of you now that you’ve been accepted by the council.” 

I take a shuddering breath as soon as the cool night air hits me. “What would have happened to us, if I didn’t have some sort of gift.”

He looks at me and then keeps walking, “You were traveling with a sorcerer or a mage, we’re not sure yet. They are the opposite of what we are.”

I laugh mockingly, “Him, a mage.”

“He wields magic.”

“Yeah well none of it is his.” 

“Stolen?”

“Stolen, taken, gathered whatever he can get.” I can’t hide the contempt in my voice and then realize I’m ignoring where we are going. I look around and almost get distracted.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” The Druid steps up next to me, eyes glittering as he looks up at the lanterns. Magic floats around freely, small sparkles float down from the leaves and then large floating orbs lighting up the place. I lift my hand covering the eye gifted with sight. I don’t see the magic anymore, just firefly’s. I take a deep breath looking at the large braziers burning.

“What are you all doing here?” I gesture to the beautiful homes and the magic, a few Druids hang out outside warm, light filled households, talking, smoking, or training. I turn on him almost frantically, “If you are evil somehow, or monsters, or hiding anything tell me now because there is something far scarier than my uncle out there and my uncle will probably use it against you.”

He leans back but not out of fear, “I see so, I have very limited time to convince you that we aren’t your enemies.”

“There’s something else.” I rub my arm looking back to where the car may be, “Your boyfriend alluded to…human sacrifices.” 

“Yes.” He says. I turn on him confusedly, taking a step back.

“We kill criminals, anyone that has broken fae law, as well as murderers, rapists.”

I narrow my eyes a little bit. “So you don’t kill innocents.”

He looks at me for a long time, “We try to avoid it.”

“That wasn’t a no.”

He shakes his head, “We have a certain amount of sacrifices we have to make to the woods, we catch people-”

“So you take what you can get.” I turn away.

“You’d be surprised how few innocents we’ve sacrificed to save others.” He moves bending down a little looking under my hood so I’m able to see him smiling. I wince looking away as he tilts his head at me, “That’s the thing about most people. Who wouldn't hesitate to trade the life of a random stranger for someone they hold dear?” 

“So not even you are innocent.”

“You keep a fairy in a cage. You allow your uncle to hurt your…friend. You hurt your friend, I saw the bite mark he didn’t seem to want to heal.”

I stiffen and see his eyes glowing. “So is that your magic then or are you just really observant.”

He stands up straighter and offers his hand, “You don’t want to go down a dark path. I can see you fighting it constantly, even though you have every right to.” 

I narrow my eyes, “aren't you wood hippies supposed to preach becoming one with nature and forgiveness, letting yourself heal.”

He smirks letting out a little scoff, “Nature is not pretty, or inherently good, it’s balanced.”

He takes out his dagger playing with it, “sometimes healing requires killing the ones that hurt you.” 

I turn, abruptly sitting on the bench that circles a large tree trunk as a back rest. “Is this a religion?” I ask.

He starts, “Some people get really into it. There is a deity but…well you can see them, touch them, they can even be killed though not forever.” He sees my face and holds up his hands. “Okay too fast, see, I didn’t really, I still don’t worship them in that way. They are incredibly old and powerful though.”

“They require human sacrifices.” I say dead tone. 

He laughs lightly, swaying a little. “Not…really.” He shrugs at me and then starts removing his cloak which I think is weird but I know he’s not coming onto me. I watch as he lets it drop around his waist showing me his bare arms and shoulders. He has tattoos but under the skin that doesn't have bark or plants growing on it. “All of us have a different type of magic, you’ve seen mine occasionally and I’ve even seen you mimicking it in a way.” 

I frown and he immediately gives me an example. His eyes and tattoos glow, soft lichen green. “I can see you, the one you try to hide, this is what your sight could become if you work on it.” 

I cover my face and lean back looking up. “What are the sacrifices for if not the deity.”

“The forest needs to be fed.”

“Creepy.”

“Well yes but it is the natural order of things we just help it along with a few bad people.”

“Why can’t the forest survive off of sunlight and when things decay on their own?”

“It’s the price to pay, for magic. It has to come from somewhere. The deity’s strength comes from the forest and from his worshipers.”

I fold my arms, “So if you end up having to sacrifice an innocent person because you used too much magic it’s on you.”

“Do you eat meat?”

I start. “Yes?”

“It’s like that-obviously you are still mostly human and you want to protect your own.”

I turn away from him lip curling in digsut and he realizes he’s losing my interest and willingness to listen. He pulls back on his cloak and then sighs leaning over, “What I’m trying to say is we don’t normally take too much.” 

“Hello.” Someone approaches with two bowls of food, “I was told neither of you have eaten yet.” They kneel and I look at the druid for explanation only to see that the newcomer isn't human out of the corner of my eye. I lean forward and pull the hood back revealing a red skinned fae with horns. They don’t even seem that surprised. The horns and face have been decorated with golden jewelry.

“You shouldn’t bow.” I tell them, giving the Druid a pointed look as well as I help them to their feet. 

“Are you flirting with a demon?” The see-er smiles but they have a little wariness.

“A demon?” I scoff and turn back to the nice Druid, “Like from Hell?” 

“They’re from earth, they feed off some not so pleasant things.”

“Demon. Monster. I’ve been called everything but my real name. I consume pain and suffering, fear.” The red fae laughs and I flush a little bit. 

“You borrow magic?” They ask me, gesturing to one eye. I shake my head. 

“It was given to me, rather abruptly.”

“Sorry to interrupt but the only reason you are having a pleasant conversation with that fae is because they are currently withstrained.”

“Ah yes my magic muzzle,” they circle me a little. “You have lots of fears, even now, you would not like me very much if I was able to feed.” 

‘I very much doubt that,’ I think to myself, they are an otherworldly kind of attractive and they can feel my curiosity and interest burning. ‘This is the type of relationship I deserve, two predatory people feeding off of and hurting each other.’

They take my hand and for once I don’t hate it, even when they lower their lips to give my thumb a soft kiss. 

“I thank you for your kindness, if I ever escape, I may repay it in full.”

I search their eyes and see a soft red sparkle glow.

‘Oh they are evil.’ I feel a warm glow in my cheeks and cover it as I watch them walk away.

“You like to flirt with danger and evil a bit more than I am comfortable with yet you draw the line at human sacrifices.” The nice Druid says shoving the bowl into my hands softly but firmly. “Eat before you pass out.”

He sits down and starts eating.

I sit and start blowing on the soup. It smells good. “Something about them-” I take a bite. “Feels comforting.” I realize that I don’t have to hide myself around the see-er druid; he'll just use his magic to see it anyway. “Why do you imprison them?” I frown, noticing that there are a few more types of fae walking around serving people.

He looks up at me like it should be obvious, “That one specifically, he was stubborn, stuck around and eventually he got caught.” I look at him waiting for him to finish. “So we didn’t have to kill him.” He says finally.

“It wasn’t your idea to keep him alive,” I realize with annoyance.

He looks at me with a glare and I suddenly feel apologetic. “He fed off my pain. Excuse me if I didn’t want him around afterwards.”

“My uncle…he’s crazy.” ‘As if I have to remind them.’ “and he will be here soon.” I say in between scarfing bits of roots and vegetables and meat. “Killing anyone who gets in his way.” 

“You wouldn’t mind if he died?”

I pause alarmed he could see that and then shake my head no. “There’s a creature after us, its skin is wood, not pieces like yours,” I mention and he rubs his hand down the perfectly simulated nature and flesh. “It’s after him and me by association.” 

He leans forward, “did it have horns like branches?” 

I think about it, “possibly.”

“Your uncle must be a real monster then.”

“He is.”

“Are…you?” He asks and I look down. 

I genuinely don't know. Part of me thinks the amount of hate I have and the amount of rage is unhealthy. His eyes glow a little and I wince looking away.

“But you’re not.” He looks shaken, “I’m…I’m sorry.” He grabs his arm, voice shaking “Oh shit I didn’t even realize…if I knew I wouldn’t have looked.”

I roll my shoulders a little. “Whatever, now you know.”

“You’re a victim not a monster.” He says and reaches out. I look at his hand and he seems to realize he couldn’t connect with me like that. He looks at his hand and then sighs very softly. 

“You’re into some harder core stuff but a lot of people are like that.” His smile quirks for a second. “Some people here are like that. Come on.” He finishes his bowl. “Let me show you more of the Druid camp, maybe you should see our healers.” 

I raise my eyebrow and continue sipping the soup as we walk. “Are there any vegetarians here?” I ask. He looks back, “Of course why do you ask?”

“My friend is a vegetarian, he’ll be hungry.”

“Oh. By choice?”

I roll my eyes, feeling sparks of irritation as I get ready to defend the boar, “Yes of course.”