Shadow Breeds

Chapter 8

*quick authors note; if you'd like, you can interact with characters via the comments, just be sure to clarify which characters you're speaking to/interacting with!*

Ashe

The sound of rain woke me up. The moon peaked through the window, letting me know we had napped a little too long. As I began to sit up I felt fingers rubbing my back, I plopped back down with a groan. August's sleepy chuckle rumbled out of his chest. Memories of when we'd first met began to flash threw my mind.

Flashback ;
I was so cold, the ground was covered with snow except for under the bridge I'd used as shelter for the last couple nights. All I had to wear was a long-sleeve shirt, boys jeans, a windbreaker and boots that were falling apart. My hair was matted and my skin was dry from the cold. I pulled my knees into my chest as I huddled under the bridge. In front of it a large grey-brown wooden sign stood with red letters reading "Welcome to Wolf Creek."

A branch snapped in the distance, I jerked my head in the direction I heard it but saw nothing. I gripped the knife in my hand so tightly my knuckles had started turning white. Then there was a rustling in the tall grass just outside of the bridges shelter. I got up and put myself into a defensive position, I'd been attacked enough to know how to deal with almost any situation at this point. There was no other shelter near by, so I wasn't about to give this spot up without a fight.

A tall, blonde haired figure with bright glowing blue-silver eyes slowly stepped out of the brush. He had his hands in the air, his palms were open and facing me as if to show he wasn't a threat. Of coarse I didn't trust that, plenty of people would butter you up first to try getting your guards down, making it easier for them to attack.

His eyes stayed locked with mine, they held an emotion I hadn't seen in so long I almost didn't recognize it; concern. People didn't usually concern themselves with the homeless, even homeless children and especially not teenagers, as a matter of fact a lot of them avoided us, aside from the occasional hateful glares for making their precious streets look 'trashier' as they'd put it.

I had no family, no friends, no one who'd be concerned for me, I was all I had so the concern in his eyes only made me more anxious. I took a step back as he took another slow step forward, keeping his hands up the whole time. "What're you doing here?" I asked, using a low warning tone. He took another step forward, slightly smiling as he did.

"Take another step and I'll shred your fucking throat into jerky strips," I snapped, I'd learned that the wilder the threat sounded the more likely they were to leave you alone, it didn't always work but it was always worth a shot. He just stood there, giving me that stupid smirk. "What the hell are you doing here? Don't make me ask again," I spoke louder, getting more antsy and irritated by the second.

He sighed and sat down on the cold ground that the bridge had sheltered from the snow. 'The audacity of this boy', I thought to myself as I shook my head and huffed, keeping my defensive stance. "I heard sniffling and got curious as to who would be out in the snow at this time of night, it's not safe here for kids like you," his voice was warm and deep, almost sleepy.

"I've been living in these streets for the last couple years just fine by myself, I think I can handle it, I certainly don't need a mans protection," I shot at him. He tilted his head to the side with a chuckle, amusement dancing in his eyes now, only irritating me further. "I'm August, by the way, August Stone. What's your name?" I was speechless for a second, his casualness through this whole interaction was weird and honestly annoying. I couldn't tell what his intentions were, I just knew I couldn't trust him, or anyone else for that matter.