By Any Other Name

Patiently Ren waits yet the boy remains still aside from the slight rise and fall of his chest. Hours pass with intrusive thoughts popping up every so often to wage war.

'What did this one wish to say?'

'This one tasted better than those two.'

'I want to eat more,' Ren laments while thinking back to how she had puked up some of her previous meal on her way to the settlement. The voice in her head said it was because she overate but what's she to do when she feels so ravenous?

Like she hasn't eaten in years.

'But I may be able to learn something useful if I wait...'

Ren's eyes bore into the boy passed out against the tree opposite her. His medium length hair falls in soft, chestnut curls that mildly obscure his face. Despite this, Ren can make out straight brows that are ever so slightly scrunched together, soft features, a mole beside his left eye, and light stubble that dusts his jaw.

As Ren continues to study him, the wind changes direction and starts blowing from behind the boy. Now free of its earlier contamination, his scent is sent towards Ren and subconsciously causes her senses to go on alert.

Ren freezes in place, still staring at him. The hairs on her body gradually stand on end. A thought springs forth from deep within her before she has time to process it: 'Dog?' Immediately proceeding the intrusive thought, Ren shakes her head momentarily to clear the thought while purposefully thinking, 'Why did I think that? What even is a dog?'

[It's an animal,] Rumpelstiltskin offers.

"Oh. You're still here?" Ren responds in a deadpan tone aloud.

[...] Why does this entity feel wronged? [Of course, host. As I've explained before, we're bonded.]

"Why don't I get a say in this?" Ren retorts.

[You did. You may not remember but you did agree to be my host.]

"Tsk," Ren cheeks. "Must have been mad."

[...] Rumpelstiltskin decides that perhaps it's best to limit their interactions. Afterall, their host could always call upon them if the need arose.

With no response, Ren's attention is soon drawn back to the boy. Cautiously she creeps closer to sniff at his strong musky odour. 'Why does this smell somewhat familiar?' Ren closes her eyes as she sniffs along the nonbloody side of his neck, trying to focus on what's familiar about the scent, hoping to unlock some memories. 'Is it the dog animal?'

Fervently she continues up and into his hair, trying to pinpoint the subtle undertones. Something about the pungent smell of old rain, forest, and blood that underlines his musky aroma reminds Ren of when she first awoke.

Ren wrinkles her nose as she continues to sniff at him, as if each sniff brings her closer to an associated memory. Despite her earnestness, she can't help her innate revulsion to the scent. 'But this one tasted okay,' Ren internally ponders.

While sniffing about, she passes by his ear and as her warm breath tickles it, he unconsciously lets out a soft groan. Startled, Ren backs several paces away in a leap and then freezes as she continues to stare at him. Ren didn't dare approach him for a while after that.

It's not until the sky begins bleeding colour that his eyes finally blink open. When they finally focus — and stay open — he finds Ren's icy blue eyes staring at him. His blood immediately runs cold as he tries to assess his situation. 'I'm still alive, so that's good. But, why?' he can't help but wonder as he studies her in return.

After several prolonged moments of silence, Ren finally opens her mouth to say, "I 'need to' what?"

Bewildered he stammers while puffs of white escape his lips, "W-what?"

Ren reiterates flatly, "You had started saying, 'You need to' before you fell, so I 'need to' what?"

"Right," his hand comes to his forehead, "I'm still out of sorts. Forgive me." His hand then trails down to his neck which causes him to wince. "You sure did some damage."

"Why did you follow me?"

"To remind you that the Queen wants to kill you," the boy claims with conviction. "Have you forgotten?"

Tilting her head to the side, Ren inquires in confusion, "What?"

The boy pauses and blinks several times in confusion before cautiously starting again, "The Queen? You know, your-...wait. Do you really not remember?"

Ren shakes her head in response.

"She-she's an evil tyrant th-that hates Vampire,"1 he stammers as his hands fidget with his clothes, "such as yourself, a-and seeks their extinction."

'Is he telling the truth?' Ren asks the annoying voice in her head that's been silent for a while.

[I'll tell you tomorrow if you continue to keep my existence a secret.]

Ren's brow furrows slightly in frustration in response and then asks the boy, "How do you know me?"

"I-" he starts before pausing to look down at his fumbling hands. Over the course of a few seconds, his hands slow to a still before looking up with an unwavering gaze as he proclaims firmly with a hint of indignation, "I'm your brother, Jäger, that's how. You have no idea how worried I've been."

'Bruder?'2 Ren thinks while blinking in confusion. 'I have a brother?'

"Why don't you come back home with me before we converse more? I fear I may freeze to death if we linger here much longer," he says while crossing his arms to rub at the other.

Hesitating, Ren looks out at the surrounding wildlife as she tries to process everything.

Ancient moss coated trees loom high above with younger ones scattered about far below. Bushes decorated in dark berries fit snugly between their towering cousins. A variety of frosted, dew covered, small white flowers push between the dead, fallen foliage and branchlets in patches. Birds sound in the distance.

A wave of weariness settles over Ren as more colour continues to leak into the sky. Realising that she doesn't have any better options at the moment, Ren nods her head, "Okay."

One side of his mouth quirks up into a small, awkward smile. "Great." Jäger stiffly rises to stand and then does some quick arm stretches in an attempt to loosen his cold, rigid muscles. "Shall we get a move on?"

Ren gives another nod in response before standing. It's only then that she realises he's only slightly taller than herself.

...

For a while, they travel in silence.

A numbing coldness gradually builds up in Ren's extremities. No longer can she feel the earthen debris poking at her bare feet as they make their way through the dense forest.

Ren's breath gradually stops coming out in puffs of white and becomes progressively more frequent.

Her pace slows to a stop and, after a few moments, Jäger also stops. He turns back to see Ren clutching her abdomen with a pained look. When they make eye contact, Ren murmurs, "Hungry."

Swallowing the lump that forms in his throat, Jäger asks while cautiously closing the distance, "Can you wait?"

"I-I don't know. I'm really hungry," Ren responds, swallowing her saliva as her eyes linger on the dried blood on his neck. "I've been waiting."

A shiver runs down Jäger' spine as the predator before him continues to stare at him like a juicy piece of meat. He couldn't completely remember what happened last time but he does remember that it hurt. 'And what if she can't stop herself this time? But, it would probably be worse if she put it off and ends up losing control, right?' Letting out a sigh, Jäger steels his nerves and pushes up his sleeves to offer his arm to Ren. "Just a little, okay? We have a while to go and I'm already weak from last night," he states resolutely. "I can hunt for you when we've returned home."

Ren's eyes shift to his and holds them for several excruciating moments before giving a nod. Immediately Jäger regrets his decision as Ren closes the distance and takes his hand and elbow in each of her hands. Her cold touch makes him want to finch away yet he manages to suppress the urge. Cold sweat forms on his brow and back as her teeth near his skin.

Opposed to last time, she only bites down briefly. Merely letting her sharp teeth pierce his skin so that she can lap up the blood that wells up as a result. After the initial bite, relief soon washes over Jäger as the pain subsides with each lick of her warm, comforting tongue. Soon, Ren starts sucking at the wound as well so as to feed quicker and keep the wound from healing until she's done.

Several minutes later, just as Jäger grows woozy, Ren separates her mouth from his arm only to swiftly tug on it and lurch him closer unexpectedly, causing the world to spin. Ren encircles his waist with her other arm and proceeds to lick at his previous wound.

"Ah-! Wait, mm-" Jäger gasps and protests weakly as her smooth, wet tongue and warm breath tickle his tender flesh. Fear starts building within him as he wonders if she changed her mind and plans to devour him. Bracing for the worst, he bites down on his bottom lip. Yet all he feels is a moist licking sensation accompanied by an occasional light nipping at his neck for what feels like an eternity. Biting into his lip harder, he tries to control his labouring breath and suppress a growing natural reaction. 'Really? Now!?' Jäger mentally chastises himself while shutting his eyes tight and trying to think of anything else.

When her hold on him finally disappears, he releases a deep exhale and his muscles relax. However, it's short lived when, a few seconds later, she seizes his face in both hands and brings his lips to hers. Immediately his eyes open wide in surprise and he tries to move his head away, but to no avail. Ren sucks his bottom lip between hers and then laps blood from his lip wound. For several prolonged moments, she does this before breaking away and licking her lips to make sure she didn't miss any.

By this time, his natural reaction is fully realised and his face reddened by not just the cold. Promptly, he turns away from her and says in a wavering voice, "I-if you're satisfied, th-then we should c-continue on." He's only taken a step away when he feels a tug at his clothes. When he looks back — still trying his best to hide his shame — he immediately regrets it.

"B-Bruder" Ren calls out with mild reluctance while looking at him curiously with big, clear eyes of water, "I forgot to ask earlier... What's my name?"

Jäger stares back for several moments silently blinking before snapping out of it. A gloved hand comes up to rub at the back of his head while his eyes drift off to the forest floor as he thoughtfully responds, "N-now that you bring it up, it probably wouldn't be a good idea if you keep going by that name. So, let's come up with a new name."

"Like what," Ren further inquires, her head tilting slightly to the side, "Bruder?"

"Anything. L-let's think of something after we're home and have eaten and recovered. Okay?"

Ren stares at the flushed boy who seems to be avoiding her as his scent grows more enticing. "Okay," she agrees with a nod and follows as he takes the lead.