to love a beast - fiction - as the world turns - luke snyder/dr. reid oliver
Title: To Love a Beast
Author: esqueish
Rating: R
Disclaimer: These crazy kids don't belong to me.
Beautiful Art: here, by the talented rumpltzr, who I am in debt to for her work.
Summary: When Holden Snyder is taken prisoner by a creature, a Beast thought to be mere legend, Luke fights to take his place. Little does he know that life as a hostage of Reid Oliver will become far more complicated than he anticipated, and bear very strange consequences.
Notes: I apologize in advance, this is going to get a little lengthy. First of all, I know there are some confusing bits about technology, so if anyone has questions, don't hesitate to ask. This is steam punk, but there are also some fantasy elements, and I didn't want to take up valuable story time explaining how this world works exactly, so yes, any questions, feel free to ask. Also, some people may note that this was for that challenge that ended....over two weeks ago. Unfortunately for me, net problems and life problems that I'm sure you don't want to here about got in the way, and here I am, throwing myself upon your mercy. Also, I am quite shocked I finished this, please believe me when I say this is the longest thing I have written in my entire life, I am very much a short story writer. Okay, this has gone on far too long, so on with this!
The farm by the edge of the forest is charming, perhaps even picturesque, fit for a painting. The house appears small, but it is deceptive in the amount of people it could hold. The family that lives inside of it, the Snyders, is large and prosperous, their modest wealth gained by the large beasts that roam the large fenced-in field that is situated nearby. The Snyders breed horses, and the head of the family, Holden Snyder, is quite renowned for his skill in doing so throughout the region, even in the large city that serves as the country's capital. While the family is somewhat apart from the neighboring estates, and not quite as grand, they are a friendly, hardworking group, and over all very happy.
Even now, as the sun began it's steady ascend upwards, the farm is a hive of activity, each family member going about their daily chores. Faith and Natalie, the daughters and middle children of the family, drag a large bucket of sudsy water and a hamper full of dirty clothing and linens to the yard, wishing to take advantage of the early morning sun. Lily, the mother, can be seen seated on the bench to the right of the front door, papers and ledger books spread over her lap and on the bench beside her as she pours over the family accounts, making lists of things bought, sold, and bartered and copies them onto the vidpage with her much abused stylus. Ethan, the youngest, is barely out of his skirts, is attempting to carefully copy the alphabet gracefully written at the top of his paper by Lily, wiggling with the effort of sitting still.
The oldest child and son, Luke, is merrily making his way to the barn, a carefree smile on his face. Holden straightens up from beginning to fitting a shoe for an antsy grey Arabian, which belongs to the Mayer family, who own the estate to their left.
Perhaps saying Mayer 'family' would be an overstatement, as the only surviving Mayer is Noah, the son of now deceased Winston Mayer, and his long deceased wife, Charlene. He is Luke's age, old enough to care for himself, yet he spends most of his time on the Snyder estate, as Holden has taken him under his wing. He is also betrothed to Luke, a long set match made between their fathers when the boys were still children.
Luke leans against the stall door, watching his father work. Holden has a way with horses, and this one is no exception. Luke can see it settling down, neck muscles relaxing as his father hums tunelessly, something he can almost identify as 'Octopus's Garden'.
"Hare for dinner," Luke says by way of greeting. "Casey dropped three off, for the colicky carriage horse last week."
"Noah staying?" Holden runs a hand down the Arabian's back right shank, wrapping a callused hand below the fetlock and lifting upwards gently and firmly. The horse obediently leans off of the leg, breathing evenly and deeply as Holden picks out the dirt. Watching Holden work has always calmed Luke; since he was small, all his adoptive father had to do was piggyback him to the barn and he would already begin to breathe easier.
"Dunno, probably, I haven't seen him yet today. I think he's in the back field." Luke shrugs, "I was about to take Dusk out that direction." He makes his way towards the only occupied stall, resting his chin on the short wooden door. "Feel like a bit of a jaunt?" The roan Morgan inside nudges his face against Luke's, a soft rumble that is supposed to be a nicker is the reply. Luke opens the stall, ushering Dusk out with the wave of his hand. Luke's raised the dark horse since they were both tiny, and he's all but officially Luke's horse. Luke mounts before Holden can say a word about a saddle, and just shakes his head as Luke and Dusk head out into the sunshine.
"Don't get into too much trouble, you two!" Holden teases as they leave, grinning after them. Luke just laughs, feeling happiness bloom inside his chest as the horse moves beneath him. He makes his way behind the house, Ethan waving with almost his whole body as they pass. Ethan, as well as the rest of the Snyder children, has had his share of rides on Dusk's wide back.
Once the pasture spreads out before them, it's not hard to spot where Noah is located, there are only a few trees dotting the golden field, shivering like water in the wind. He's almost to the tree line, sitting in the large oak they played around when they were small, one they have not visited together in many years. Luke stares across the tract for a moment, then grins, squeezing his knees and clicking softly, and off they go, thundering down the slight slope towards the tall oak.
Dusk slows automatically as they come close, and Luke hops off, bounding up to the trunk and shimmying up with ease. It's definitely not as tall as he remembers, but their clumsily carved names are still visible.
"Did you walk all the way out here by yourself?" Luke finds the familiar spot where he used to lay lengthwise down the longest limb on the tree. It's a little more awkward now that his torso is wider, but the worn bark against his cheek is like visiting an old friend.
Noah jumps a little, as if he didn't hear the hoof beats on the hard packed earth. He smiles almost shyly at Luke, swinging his bare feet in the air. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad. Just thinking." Dusk nickers softly below them, grazing leisurely. They used to do this a lot, the three of them lazing about when the weather was too hot, Luke making up ridiculous stories for hours on end, and Noah laughing in a high pitched giggle-squeak that Luke teased him about until his voice changed.
For a while after both of their bodies began to change, their friendship changed into more. It was perhaps this which prompted Lily to meet with Dusty Donovan, Noah's legal guardian, which brought about the betrothal that Luke was informed of soon after. Luke thought that he should want this, after all, Noah was his best friend, and he did love him, though perhaps not the way that he had when the two had first begun to sneak out at night for a purpose other than to tip Henry Coleman's cows.
However, at the words 'marriage', 'betrothed' , 'joining of households', and 'financial merging', he had thought that his throat might close up. While he loved his family, and the farm he had grown up on his entire life, he couldn't imagine not seeing the rest of the world, of not knowing what else life offered. In the end, he had told himself that he did, should want this. Unfortunately, it was now two months away from the wedding ceremony, and Luke feels, in his heart of hearts, that he still does not want this.
No matter how awkward things have become between them , Luke still does not hesitate to nudge, to push, to touch. He leans down, tapping Noah's forehead with a smirk and a chuckle.
"Thinking? Perish the thought! Whatever about?" Luke deepens his voice dramatically, twirling an invisible mustachio around his finger. It's almost the villain voice he used to use when he would make up longwinded stories to entertain himself and Noah, only deeper and with less flailing on Luke's part. Noah snorts, pushing his hand away.
"All those flowers your mother wants for the aisle of the church, I think she's conveniently forgotten that neither of us are girls," Noah says finally grinning and reaching up to poke Luke back with one massive index finger. Luke swallows hard, but continues to smile. Of course, the wedding. Right.
"Let her have what she wants while she can, Grandmother's taking an airship back to Oakdale from New Amsterdam soon, and when that happens, it'll be what Grandmother thinks is best," Luke says, wagging a finger and pursing his lips. Noah laughs, and it feels almost like they're both eleven years old again, just doing imitations of the people of Oakdale until the fireflies blink.
Smiling, Luke sits up, hugging the trunk of the tree. He faces the forest, which stretches out for what seems to be forever before them, even with the little advantage the slight slope gives them. Luke remembers how they used to dare each other to go into it, though the closest either of them ever got before running pell mell back to the safety of their oak was five feet from the tree line. He remembers Casey telling them all kinds of horrible stories about the things that happened inside, or the creatures that inhabited it.
Looking at the dense wood now, it looks normal, unremarkable. He can see the sparkling ribbon of a stream cutting through perhaps fifty feet in, and if he looks just past it, there's something that looks like a trail, slightly grown over with time and disuse. Though it is strangely silent, Luke finds it lacking something, something that's always background noise before in a forest. It takes him a minute to identify the loss; there's no bird trills, no squawking or cooing, or any animal noises. Apart from the faint trickling of the stream and shh-shh of leaves, there doesn't seem to be any movement at all. Luke shivers.
He must be silent for quite a while, because Noah's tugging on his ankle from below, raising an eyebrow at him. Luke smiles sheepishly.
"Sorry, I was miles away," he says, pulling his ankle from Noah's grasp.
"Miles away where?" Noah teases, grinning. "Mr. Coleman's tavern?" Luke laughs, though it's a distracted and far away sound.
He's silent again, his face slowly sobering and he is very far away, mountains and oceans away. "Do you know," he says, biting his lip for a moment before continuing, "do you know I wish we'd have explored those woods? I can't imagine that there's anything there that's truly terrible. It was just something all the adults told us kids to keep us from hurting themselves." Luke's eyes are continents away. "I wish…I wish we'd have taken up Grandmother's offer to travel to Santa Fe with her. Can you imagine, a brick red city, with more dust than grass?"
Noah looks at him a little askance but smiling, entirely nonplussed.
"It sounds strange, I imagine that the dust would get everywhere," he says a little teasingly. "And what would your father have done without us? There are things like 'chores' and 'work', remember?" He reaches to tickle Luke's side, but Luke wiggles out of range, laughing again to hid his disappointment.
"Yeah, you know how I forget," he replies, and they both fall silent again, lost in their own thoughts.
Far away, beyond the forest, the image of the two boys become men in the tree looks strange projected against the stony wall of the castle. A clawed hand reaches to twist the lens of the contraption that projects the picture, and Luke and Noah become snowy static.
"Well, the medicine was a success," Reid says finally, clicking his long claws against the metal casing of the contraption absently. "The child plays as if never on death's doorstep." The shimmering translucent image of the blonde woman standing to his right quirks an eyebrow at him.
"I didn't think you were really watching the child," she says lightly, crossing her arms. "I actually thought you were paying more attention to his older brother, hm?" Her face is trying not to be hopeful, even as she scoffs.
Reid snorts, chuckling a little bitterly. It sounds like the distant rumble of a stampede. "I don't think so Katie. I know what you're thinking, and I don't think so."
"That's not a no," she says, smiling hesitantly. Reid makes a face at her, pressing a button, and the static disappears.
Chapter Two.
Author: esqueish
Rating: R
Disclaimer: These crazy kids don't belong to me.
Beautiful Art: here, by the talented rumpltzr, who I am in debt to for her work.
Summary: When Holden Snyder is taken prisoner by a creature, a Beast thought to be mere legend, Luke fights to take his place. Little does he know that life as a hostage of Reid Oliver will become far more complicated than he anticipated, and bear very strange consequences.
Notes: I apologize in advance, this is going to get a little lengthy. First of all, I know there are some confusing bits about technology, so if anyone has questions, don't hesitate to ask. This is steam punk, but there are also some fantasy elements, and I didn't want to take up valuable story time explaining how this world works exactly, so yes, any questions, feel free to ask. Also, some people may note that this was for that challenge that ended....over two weeks ago. Unfortunately for me, net problems and life problems that I'm sure you don't want to here about got in the way, and here I am, throwing myself upon your mercy. Also, I am quite shocked I finished this, please believe me when I say this is the longest thing I have written in my entire life, I am very much a short story writer. Okay, this has gone on far too long, so on with this!
The farm by the edge of the forest is charming, perhaps even picturesque, fit for a painting. The house appears small, but it is deceptive in the amount of people it could hold. The family that lives inside of it, the Snyders, is large and prosperous, their modest wealth gained by the large beasts that roam the large fenced-in field that is situated nearby. The Snyders breed horses, and the head of the family, Holden Snyder, is quite renowned for his skill in doing so throughout the region, even in the large city that serves as the country's capital. While the family is somewhat apart from the neighboring estates, and not quite as grand, they are a friendly, hardworking group, and over all very happy.
Even now, as the sun began it's steady ascend upwards, the farm is a hive of activity, each family member going about their daily chores. Faith and Natalie, the daughters and middle children of the family, drag a large bucket of sudsy water and a hamper full of dirty clothing and linens to the yard, wishing to take advantage of the early morning sun. Lily, the mother, can be seen seated on the bench to the right of the front door, papers and ledger books spread over her lap and on the bench beside her as she pours over the family accounts, making lists of things bought, sold, and bartered and copies them onto the vidpage with her much abused stylus. Ethan, the youngest, is barely out of his skirts, is attempting to carefully copy the alphabet gracefully written at the top of his paper by Lily, wiggling with the effort of sitting still.
The oldest child and son, Luke, is merrily making his way to the barn, a carefree smile on his face. Holden straightens up from beginning to fitting a shoe for an antsy grey Arabian, which belongs to the Mayer family, who own the estate to their left.
Perhaps saying Mayer 'family' would be an overstatement, as the only surviving Mayer is Noah, the son of now deceased Winston Mayer, and his long deceased wife, Charlene. He is Luke's age, old enough to care for himself, yet he spends most of his time on the Snyder estate, as Holden has taken him under his wing. He is also betrothed to Luke, a long set match made between their fathers when the boys were still children.
Luke leans against the stall door, watching his father work. Holden has a way with horses, and this one is no exception. Luke can see it settling down, neck muscles relaxing as his father hums tunelessly, something he can almost identify as 'Octopus's Garden'.
"Hare for dinner," Luke says by way of greeting. "Casey dropped three off, for the colicky carriage horse last week."
"Noah staying?" Holden runs a hand down the Arabian's back right shank, wrapping a callused hand below the fetlock and lifting upwards gently and firmly. The horse obediently leans off of the leg, breathing evenly and deeply as Holden picks out the dirt. Watching Holden work has always calmed Luke; since he was small, all his adoptive father had to do was piggyback him to the barn and he would already begin to breathe easier.
"Dunno, probably, I haven't seen him yet today. I think he's in the back field." Luke shrugs, "I was about to take Dusk out that direction." He makes his way towards the only occupied stall, resting his chin on the short wooden door. "Feel like a bit of a jaunt?" The roan Morgan inside nudges his face against Luke's, a soft rumble that is supposed to be a nicker is the reply. Luke opens the stall, ushering Dusk out with the wave of his hand. Luke's raised the dark horse since they were both tiny, and he's all but officially Luke's horse. Luke mounts before Holden can say a word about a saddle, and just shakes his head as Luke and Dusk head out into the sunshine.
"Don't get into too much trouble, you two!" Holden teases as they leave, grinning after them. Luke just laughs, feeling happiness bloom inside his chest as the horse moves beneath him. He makes his way behind the house, Ethan waving with almost his whole body as they pass. Ethan, as well as the rest of the Snyder children, has had his share of rides on Dusk's wide back.
Once the pasture spreads out before them, it's not hard to spot where Noah is located, there are only a few trees dotting the golden field, shivering like water in the wind. He's almost to the tree line, sitting in the large oak they played around when they were small, one they have not visited together in many years. Luke stares across the tract for a moment, then grins, squeezing his knees and clicking softly, and off they go, thundering down the slight slope towards the tall oak.
Dusk slows automatically as they come close, and Luke hops off, bounding up to the trunk and shimmying up with ease. It's definitely not as tall as he remembers, but their clumsily carved names are still visible.
"Did you walk all the way out here by yourself?" Luke finds the familiar spot where he used to lay lengthwise down the longest limb on the tree. It's a little more awkward now that his torso is wider, but the worn bark against his cheek is like visiting an old friend.
Noah jumps a little, as if he didn't hear the hoof beats on the hard packed earth. He smiles almost shyly at Luke, swinging his bare feet in the air. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad. Just thinking." Dusk nickers softly below them, grazing leisurely. They used to do this a lot, the three of them lazing about when the weather was too hot, Luke making up ridiculous stories for hours on end, and Noah laughing in a high pitched giggle-squeak that Luke teased him about until his voice changed.
For a while after both of their bodies began to change, their friendship changed into more. It was perhaps this which prompted Lily to meet with Dusty Donovan, Noah's legal guardian, which brought about the betrothal that Luke was informed of soon after. Luke thought that he should want this, after all, Noah was his best friend, and he did love him, though perhaps not the way that he had when the two had first begun to sneak out at night for a purpose other than to tip Henry Coleman's cows.
However, at the words 'marriage', 'betrothed' , 'joining of households', and 'financial merging', he had thought that his throat might close up. While he loved his family, and the farm he had grown up on his entire life, he couldn't imagine not seeing the rest of the world, of not knowing what else life offered. In the end, he had told himself that he did, should want this. Unfortunately, it was now two months away from the wedding ceremony, and Luke feels, in his heart of hearts, that he still does not want this.
No matter how awkward things have become between them , Luke still does not hesitate to nudge, to push, to touch. He leans down, tapping Noah's forehead with a smirk and a chuckle.
"Thinking? Perish the thought! Whatever about?" Luke deepens his voice dramatically, twirling an invisible mustachio around his finger. It's almost the villain voice he used to use when he would make up longwinded stories to entertain himself and Noah, only deeper and with less flailing on Luke's part. Noah snorts, pushing his hand away.
"All those flowers your mother wants for the aisle of the church, I think she's conveniently forgotten that neither of us are girls," Noah says finally grinning and reaching up to poke Luke back with one massive index finger. Luke swallows hard, but continues to smile. Of course, the wedding. Right.
"Let her have what she wants while she can, Grandmother's taking an airship back to Oakdale from New Amsterdam soon, and when that happens, it'll be what Grandmother thinks is best," Luke says, wagging a finger and pursing his lips. Noah laughs, and it feels almost like they're both eleven years old again, just doing imitations of the people of Oakdale until the fireflies blink.
Smiling, Luke sits up, hugging the trunk of the tree. He faces the forest, which stretches out for what seems to be forever before them, even with the little advantage the slight slope gives them. Luke remembers how they used to dare each other to go into it, though the closest either of them ever got before running pell mell back to the safety of their oak was five feet from the tree line. He remembers Casey telling them all kinds of horrible stories about the things that happened inside, or the creatures that inhabited it.
Looking at the dense wood now, it looks normal, unremarkable. He can see the sparkling ribbon of a stream cutting through perhaps fifty feet in, and if he looks just past it, there's something that looks like a trail, slightly grown over with time and disuse. Though it is strangely silent, Luke finds it lacking something, something that's always background noise before in a forest. It takes him a minute to identify the loss; there's no bird trills, no squawking or cooing, or any animal noises. Apart from the faint trickling of the stream and shh-shh of leaves, there doesn't seem to be any movement at all. Luke shivers.
He must be silent for quite a while, because Noah's tugging on his ankle from below, raising an eyebrow at him. Luke smiles sheepishly.
"Sorry, I was miles away," he says, pulling his ankle from Noah's grasp.
"Miles away where?" Noah teases, grinning. "Mr. Coleman's tavern?" Luke laughs, though it's a distracted and far away sound.
He's silent again, his face slowly sobering and he is very far away, mountains and oceans away. "Do you know," he says, biting his lip for a moment before continuing, "do you know I wish we'd have explored those woods? I can't imagine that there's anything there that's truly terrible. It was just something all the adults told us kids to keep us from hurting themselves." Luke's eyes are continents away. "I wish…I wish we'd have taken up Grandmother's offer to travel to Santa Fe with her. Can you imagine, a brick red city, with more dust than grass?"
Noah looks at him a little askance but smiling, entirely nonplussed.
"It sounds strange, I imagine that the dust would get everywhere," he says a little teasingly. "And what would your father have done without us? There are things like 'chores' and 'work', remember?" He reaches to tickle Luke's side, but Luke wiggles out of range, laughing again to hid his disappointment.
"Yeah, you know how I forget," he replies, and they both fall silent again, lost in their own thoughts.
Far away, beyond the forest, the image of the two boys become men in the tree looks strange projected against the stony wall of the castle. A clawed hand reaches to twist the lens of the contraption that projects the picture, and Luke and Noah become snowy static.
"Well, the medicine was a success," Reid says finally, clicking his long claws against the metal casing of the contraption absently. "The child plays as if never on death's doorstep." The shimmering translucent image of the blonde woman standing to his right quirks an eyebrow at him.
"I didn't think you were really watching the child," she says lightly, crossing her arms. "I actually thought you were paying more attention to his older brother, hm?" Her face is trying not to be hopeful, even as she scoffs.
Reid snorts, chuckling a little bitterly. It sounds like the distant rumble of a stampede. "I don't think so Katie. I know what you're thinking, and I don't think so."
"That's not a no," she says, smiling hesitantly. Reid makes a face at her, pressing a button, and the static disappears.
Chapter Two.