Drop by Drop (3/4)
Title: Drop by Drop
Prompt: Here Be Dragons
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language
---
Fai had had to pay for a few extra nights, which wasn't too terrible on his pockets and if things turned out how he hoped it would be a drop in the bucket for what he would make back. It had been two days since he'd met the strange man in the woods. They had talked little, with Fai mostly talking and the other either getting annoyed and just leaving him to go wandering into the forest or sitting there and glaring as he barely answered any of Fai's questions.
He wasn't really sure why he kept going back to be honest, but a lead was a lead. He hadn't even managed to wring a name from the other yet, so he had started calling him Mr. Black and then it became a game when he saw how the other reacted, but still refused to give him a name.
Making it back to the shack he wasn't all that surprised to see a mouse scampering across the floorboards. The stranger sitting on his cot like he'd been waiting for hours, which wouldn't surprise Fai if he had.
Their day started the same as it had two days prior. Fai writing down any stories the other had about the lake and its surroundings. Stories he supposed the man had heard from growing up around the loch. He listened to tales of two-tailed creatures killing off hounds, of pretty women who lured men to their deaths in the forests. It was all rather grim for his tastes, but he wrote down the few sentences his acquaintance mumbled to him.
When Fai yawned, thinking three hours of just sitting around and writing barely a page of notes, was worth taking a break, he tucked away he notebook and grabbed the lunch from his bag Sakura had carefully made him that morning. He usually didn't eat, too cautious, but he had skipped breakfast. He was greeted with a small loaf of bread wrapped tight with a thick slice of cheese and some cold cuts. he would have to thank Sakura for her generosity when he made it back.
He had almost forgotten the man four feet from him when the cot creaked in protest at such a large man moving about on it. Fai nearly jumped out of his skin. "Are you hungry?" He asked offering to share when he noticed the man staring and who immediately looked away when offered.
"I won't eat all of it and it'll go to waste otherwise." He tore the loaf in half offering it then to the other who snatched it out of his hand glaring all the while. Tearing into the morsel, he ignored eye contact.
"My name is Kurogane."
When Fai looked over next, the bread was gone and Kurogane was staring out his broken window, dark eyes narrowed. He assumed it was some sort of peace offering.
"Such an odd name." He smiled. "And a little different than Mr. Black or Mr. Sourpuss."
Kurogane huffed, hating the names. "It's mine, so it doesn't matter what you think."
"I suppose it doesn't." Fai shrugged as he polished off his meal and stood up. "Same time tomorrow?" He asked falling into the same routine as they had for the past several days and when he only got a nod in answer he smiled and shook his head. Grabbing his bag he left the small shack, wondering why Kurogane just didn't go to the town to live.
It was a little unnerving having Kurogane staring at him as he left as he could feel the man's eyes boring into his back.
--
It was a change of pace today. Kurogane had met him on the road and Fai had stared for a moment. The man had wordlessly turned and began walking into the woods. Fai had been about to ask about it, but then remembered who he was with and just followed after.
The walk was longer this time around as they headed deeper into the woods than Fai had ventured in his travels. The trees grew taller and blotted out the sun, leaving them in a sort of darkness. "How much longer?" He asked as he early tripped over a gnarled tree root.
"Not long."
That was as much of an answer as he was going to get. After a few minutes, Fai was tired and had snags in one of his favorite jackets and he had had his hair pulled enough to last for a lifetime by low hanging branches. They came to less densely wooded area, much younger trees sprouted up on a grassy mound. Wildflowers bloomed in yellows and purples as he stepped forward. It was rather lovely with the sun hitting it just so.
"You wanted to see the old dolmens right?"
"Y-yes." He was so taken aback he had stuttered over his words. "This is one?"
"It's old, the stones are covered in vines." He climbed the small hill and Fai could then see how oddly unnatural it looked. Jutting up from the top rested the dolmen. It's two posts short and broad while the lintel sat across, vines covering all but a few spots. Setting his bag down he knelled and pulled out his notebook and a pencil. He wanted to sketch out the small hill as Kurogane walked around it.
"Find this in your travels?" He teased lightly.
"Hmm. I've known about it for awhile. It has a woman buried under it, some long forgotten hero that defeated a trickster. There are two others around the loch. They helped her." Kurogane said as he smoothed his hand over the blue stone.
"Why aren't they together?" He asked curious as he worked on his sketch.
"That's not how heroes are buried." Kurogane shrugged in turn before moving around it. When Fai finished his sketch he closed his book and began walking around the burial mound as well inspecting it. He could make out some worn images, but couldn't make out what they were supposed to be.
"So where'd you hear this story?" Fai asked as Kurogane was crouched down at its base.
"My mother."
Fai let the subject drop then when he saw Kurogane tense. The man didn't seem to have any family and didn't go into town as far as he knew.
"We should start heading back. I need to work on some things." With the material he had gathered so far he could write an entire series on the area.
The trip back was just as quiet and uneventful as the way to the dolmen had been and when they parted ways Fai waved at Kurogane who stood off to the side of the road.
--
The next day when he tried to find Kurogane he had simply found no trace of him. He was sitting in his shack like he always was or waiting for him along the road. So after a couple of hours Fai gave up and headed back to town, deciding it was a good enough time to work on his articles. It bothered him not having Kurogane around, but there was nothing he could do about it. So off he went back to the inn, Sakura there to keep him company as he scribbled.
As day turned into evening the regulars began pouring in for their drinks and to tell stories. Fai had only come down from his room twice to join them and found the lot of them made decent company. Putting away his work he took a seat at one of the tables as Sakura and her brother both began waiting tables and making drinks. A game of cards had started in the corner as others began to sit and recap on the day's events. There wasn't much news, a new calf being born there, harvest season coming up. Fai found it a little boring.
He had already had two drinks by the time the inn was crowded with people, smoking pipes and laughing at old stories that had been told over and over again. Fai was laughing at one about a farmer and a goose when the front door was slammed open and a man came staggering in, eyes wide as saucers. "M-monster!"
Everyone stopped to look at him surprised. "Looks like someone's been hitting the bottle a bit early tonight." A stranger interrupted, which caused an uproar of laughter and everything went back to normal. Fai however got up from his seat helping the man to one himself. Amongst the gasps for breath he was told how the man had been coming to the inn and saw something large swimming in the waters, it's head above the surface. The blonde was out of the inn in moments, running towards the shoreline.
It was quiet in the town, the only sounds being the birds and the water sloshing along the banks. He ran alongside the road, the same one he walked everyday as he scanned over the water trying to see something. The first sighting to happen since his arrival and he couldn't miss it.
Fai nearly toppled over, the toe of his shoe catching on a rock. He had to hurry, to try and find any sign of something. He was slowing down when he finally heard water splashing and just caught a glimpse of a dark hump coming out of the water before diving back under. His heart raced as he kept running trying to run along the edge of the loch.
He had already passed the outcropping of rocks he liked to sit on and have lunch when he saw whatever it was again and all but fell down the small bank kicking up dirt and rocks as he went. The water churned around it, waves hitting the shore as Fai walked in ankle deep and watched as something slunk out of the water. His heart dropped to his stomach as the moonlight glinted off dark scales, the thing dragged itself up on the show all sliding coils as thick as a tree trunk. It's head, from what he could see what slender, with horns like a goat that spiraled behind its head, the silhouette striking. Its eyes, large and round, reflected in the darkness and Fai forgot to breathe as he began to step back.
It noticed him however and lashed out, quick for its size as the rest of it emerged from the dark waters of the lock. Fai panicked and raced back up the slope towards the road. It was real, there was an honest to god monster in the loch and as he fumbled to walk up the small hill he screamed as something caught his jacket and pulled him back.
The creatures hand scooped him up and Fai fainted when he saw those eyes in front of him.
---
He woke up gasping for air, heart still fluttering in his chest as he looked around in the dark. He couldn't see anything except the trees above him blocking out most of the light. He didn't know where he was or why he hadn't been eaten. When he tried to get up and reached out, his breath hitched when he touched smooth scale. Retracting his hand quickly he looked around. He hoped he hadn't been brought back to a nest, he did not want to be a meal for the thing's brood.
"Stop." It sounded like a groan and reminded him of when he'd heard an old tree breaking and bending as it fell. "Sit." Fai stopped from trying to get away. He had to be hearing things, giant lake monsters did not talk.
"I...can't believe I'm talking now, but did you just talk." Fai hoped it had talked now because if not he had just let it know he was awake.
"Idiot. Kurogane." Fai didn't know which way to look, but was pushed back as the creature moved, the coils of its body moving around him and a part of it had knocked against him.
"What about Kuro-sour?" He cleared his throat.
"It's...me." The voice said. Fai had to stop and try and look at the thing again.
"You're Kuro-grump?" There was a low growl in response and Fai whipped around in its direction.
"Yes."
"I'm dead aren't I? This is some kind of delusion?" He thought aloud. There was a rumbling in front of him and Kurogane rose up picking him up.
"Idiot." He repeated before moving deeper into the forest. Fai recognized the shack when they came to, the trees not blocking what little light there was. Kurogane let him go and Fai went inside for the small oil lantern he had left there before. With the matches in his jacket he lit the lamp and with some hesitance went back outside. He needed a better look.
"So you're really you...and you just happen to be a lake monster too?" Fai raised the lamp up to show Kurogane more to him. Kurogane looked like something out of old zoological books he had seen in the library. Like the dragons that were drawn on the edges of maps warning sailors.
"You're a sea dragon?" He asked relaxing bit by bit.
Kurogane shook his head. He stood in front of him claws digging into the ground a little under his weight. "So just something similar?"
"Don't know."
"Can you change back?" He asked curious and got a head shake in response. He watched as within a moment Kurogane had gone back to his human form though he looked away when the man stood up naked.
"Idiot. I didn't mean for you to find out." He growled and stomped towards him to get inside and put on his clothes.
"Don't trust me?" Fai asked as he turned after Kurogane was dressed.
"I do, but you might still talk and then it won't be a secret to anyone." Fai shook his head.
"You don't have a lot of faith in me." He reasoned as Kurogane sat on his cot. "You want to explain? i have a lot of questions."
"Like what?" Kurogane asked as he looked up.
"What are you? How old are you? Everything really." Fai sat in the rickety chair across from him.
"I've never told anyone." He explained. Hell he hadn't really talked to anyone really in decades.
"Well now is a good time to start don't you think?" Fai offered a small smile.
"My family has lived here for a ages, my mother used to say we came from the ocean a long time ago when there were no humans in this forest. I don't know if that was true or not or she just liked telling me stories. " Kurogane ran a hand through his hair as he thought of his mother. She was vague in his mind, but he remembered her lulling voice and her warmth. "When the first people came they gave us game as appeasement and erected a shrine. We were gods to them like the other spirits and things that roamed the forest. My father was a great hero to them. He fought a /fuath/ that had wandered into the forest. The villagers sought our aide, but my parents only helped when it was to protect this place."
Fai listened intently as Kurogane grit his teeth. It was surreal talking to someone who had lived so long, that wasn't even really human.
"After awhile we were forgotten and thought us evil. They burned the forest to bring my father out of the loch and when he came they captured him and cut him to pieces. His body was dragged into the village and his head was hung on the inn rotting."
"How could they have done that? I can't imagine a bunch of farmers with pitchforks could overpower someone like you." Fai asked trying to understand.
"We could change shapes. Creatures of water, we changed like our element." He smirked, remembering his father's words. "We took human forms to deal with the people and to keep them from pissing themselves when they saw us. We also took shapes of horses, to better move when it was needed."
Fai blinked before something clicked. "You're the horse that's been following me? I had wondered why he hadn't showed up recently."
"There are tells...we can't recreate the shapes perfectly." He added. "After father died, my mother went to the village at night to take back his remains. She brought him back and we buried him. The humans came days later and tried the same trick again. I was too small to help, barely bigger than a row boat." He scoffed and Fai could see the pain in his eyes. She lured them away from me and I remember standing by the tree line and watching as they dragged her to shore. They tied her down with rope and took her away. I tried going after, but I couldn't leave the forest." He remembered it, remembered the dark spots of blood on the grass and how the horses snorted at having to carry off such a heavy load.
"I can't imagine how terrible that must have been." Fai bit his lip and stepped closer to put his hands on the others shoulders. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault."
"You must have been so lonely." He knew of stories of creatures that ate people, but Kurogane seemed harmless.
Kurogane didn't say anything. "You should go before someone starts to miss you." Gently he pushed Fai away.
"Alright." He backed away. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
It was then Kurogane looked up at him. He hesitated before nodding.
PART IV