Astugr

Chapter One

me: *sneaking onto wattpad after my school blocks Ao3*  h e y d o y o u g u y s l i k e l a m s

John Laurens

        John had always been an explorer. Always leaving in the dead night when his parents were asleep, tonight was no exception. Even after Henry had tried to scare him out of it. John remembered what his father had been saying.

        "The world has always been split. Between humans and those of the dark. Leaving the humans constantly hunted by a range of things. From beings with blood red eyes that drained their victims to fire-breathing dragons that destroyed town after town. After their rampages, they would rest in mountain caves on their piles of gold. Yet, deeper into the mountains laid a species even more powerful. They ran the world, even if the rest of the world wasn't quite aware of their presence. Shapeshifters. No one knows their true form, but one thing always remains true with each change of form. Violet eyes that pierce your very soul. They are ruthless creatures. Loyal, but ruthless. But even the most powerful of species has a race that rules. Shapeshifters are ruled by a very powerful clan that no one has ever truly located or discovered. Hidden entirely. Their eyes are a deep dark violet and can even be entirely dark. It's said that they go after little boys who don't go to bed, much like you, to feed their clan members!" Henry rose his hands like claws and made a deep growling noise. John just stared at Henry like he was stupid.

        "Shapeshifters aren't real, Father." John had deadpanned and left the room. He considered himself to be smart for an 11-year-old. If they had no evidence of shapeshifters that he could see, they weren't real.

        Right? John shook his head violently as he trudged through the soft snow. He shouldn't be thinking like that. John rubbed his arms and let out a breath of hot air and watch his breath disappear seconds later. He smiled to himself. He always liked it when he could see his breath. John shut his eyes and smiled to himself while walking. A mistake on his part. Or was why he began tumbling down a hill because he ran into something? Perhaps. John let out grunts as he fell and heard some from the...something. When he reached a stopping point, John got onto his hands and knees and let out labored breaths. He rose his head and saw a boy laying in the snow on his side wheezing slightly, his eyes clenched shut. John crawled over and sat back on his legs.

        "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I'll go get my father to come he-" The boy reached out and grabbed John's hand before John could stand up to go. John looked back down at the boy and the boy was looking at him with deep dark violet eyes. John remembered his father's words very clearly in that one moment. But he wasn't afraid. He didn't even feel fear when he saw the pointed ears that certainly weren't human. "-help..." John finished finally.

        "Don't...father will be mad at me." The boy quickly sat up and winced, a hand flew up to his chest as he continued to pant. John frowned. His frown grew as he noticed the other shiver. John quickly took off his fur coat and draped it over the other boy's shoulders without a word. "But this is-"

        "-yours now. My family is rich I can just as easily get another. You need it more than I do. Who trudges out in the snow in clothes this thin anyway?" John joked to try and distract the boy from his pain. It seemed to work. He got the other to giggle and he seemed to relax a bit. John felt his heartbeat pick up. That laugh was the cutest noise he'd ever heard and his face quickly heated up. John sat criss-cross and shoved his hand out to the boy whose eyes widened a bit at the gesture and he straightened up. "I'm John Laurens! A noble! Who might you be?" John was staring in an expecting way.