Prince awoke with a murky head and limbs that felt as though they had been replaced by lead. He groaned and twisted in his sheets- then realised he was definitely not laying in his sheets.
Blue eyes flying open, Prince gazed around the room and bit back a scream. Gone were the pale pink walls and satin bedding of his private chambers. They had been replaced by cold stone walls, a fur lined cloak that was not his own and- a man?
Prince scrambled upright and swallowed his rising panic as the man seemed to sense that he had awoken, glancing over at Prince with curious brown eyes.
"You can calm down pup, you're not in the wrong cave this time," the man said with a rumbling chuckle that sent a shiver up Princes spine. Due to terror, naturally.
".... Who are you?" Prince said eventually and the man smiled a bit, abandoning the pot that he had been stirring in favour of moving closer to Prince who scooted away again and the man paused.
"Names Angus," he said in a gruff tone, offering a large hand to Prince who simply stared at it. "Was out... hunting for dinner, I found you passed out in a cave. You're lucky the wolves didn't have you."
Prince hesitated then eventually sighed, taking Angus' hand and shaking it. "Wasn't my brightest move I'll admit," he mumbled and Angus smiled.
"Well, I'm sure you've made plenty of brighter ones," he said, not unkindly before gesturing to the pot. "Hungry?"
Prince was about to shake his head when his tummy rumbled, completely giving him away. His cheeks flushed pink. It had been hours since he had last ate and in his desperation to flee the palace, Prince had not thought to pack supplies.
Taking his silence as confirmation, Angus returned his attention to the pot. He picked up a dingy metallic bowl and scooped some form of meat into it before offering it to Prince who muttered his thanks, deciding it best to not ask exactly what type of creature Angus had managed to hunt down for his dinner.
Prince began to eat in silence as Angus filled his own bowl before tearing into the questionable meat.
"So, where are you heading?" Angus asked eventually and Prince felt his body stiffen. Seeming to sense this, Angus shrugged. "You don't have to answer if you don't want, just haven't seen you around these parts before," he said and Prince raised an eyebrow.
"... you see others around these parts?" he asked, causing Angus to snort.
"Mhm, just us locals," he said which piqued Princes curiosity. Save Angus, he had seen no sign of human activity or civilization.
Angus raised an eyebrow. "If you're planning on sticking about I'm sure you'll get to meet them," he said, causing Prince to swallow heavily. Really, he knew he should get going. He was still close enough to the castle that he could be discovered- it was likely the palace guards had caught up to him by now. And yet, he felt relatively safe with Angus for some reason.
".... Maybe for a day or two if you don't mind my company," Prince relented eventually. He really was curious to see what other folk were living a hidden life out in the woods.
Something like hope sparked in Angus' eyes, but it vanished before Prince had time to dwell on it. He smiled at Prince then scooped another mound of the meat into Princes bowl before he could protest.
"Tomorrow, I'll hunt for two!" he said happily as though that settled things. Prince decided to ignore the sudden warmth that spread through his chest and he offered Angus a small smile before returning his attention to the monstrosity within his bowl.
