Chapter 24 - a game of catch

A furrow slowly formed on Faun's brown when he noticed that Declan wasn't letting him go, becoming hyper aware of their positions.

He ducked his head, feeling red crawl up his cheeks. There was no reason to be embarrassed now, was there?

Well, other than being pressed so closely to Declan.

"Did nuts fall in your ears?" He complained grumpily, covering up his mortification with a prickly attitude. "I said let me go."

Declan didn't budge, "What do I get in return for saving you?" He asked casually.

Faun whipped his head up to stare at Declan before he could stop himself. "Save me from what?" He demanded in disbelief.

"Look over there." Declan pointed out, moving them both with ease to show the rock that Faun would have bumped right into if Declan hadn't caught him.

It was hidden from his line of sight because the log was in the way.

Faun's eyes widened in surprise, momentarily forgetting that he was still on Declan. "What do you want?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

Declan made a show of thinking about it, he had actually been caught off guard, he hadn't been expecting Faun to agree so easily. Hell, he never imagined he would take things this far.

Now what should he ask for?

His mind kept drawing a blank or more like he kept wiping his thoughts because there was no way he was asking Faun any of that.

Faun's tail swished impatiently at that moment, catching his attention. "Let me braid your tail." He blurted out, cursing mentally as he did. What the fuck?

But it was still far better than the things he really wanted to do.

Faun just gave him a look full of concern. "You don't know how to make a braid." He pointed out.

Declan immediately went on the defensive. "You don't know that." He grumbled.

"Fine, now let go of me." Faun said again, already at his limit.

Fortunately, Declan let him go this time and a devious thought slid into Faun's head.

He knew that Declan just wanted a reason to tug on his tail and that was why he asked to braid it.

"Declan? How about we play a game." He suggested, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Declan's mood instantly improved at this piece of news, he sat up, pushing a hand through his inky black hair. "A game?" He prodded, lifting a brow curiously.

"Yes, if I win, you'll give up on braiding my tail." Faun stated, his wild hair bouncing as he crossed his arms.

Declan studied him, his grey stare piercing. "And if I win?" He asked calmly, his voice dark.

An involuntary shiver ran up Faun's spine but he wasn't scared, if anything, the game had gotten even more challenging.

"What do you want?" He found himself asking Declan for the second time.

Declan smiled. "I'll let you know when I win."

Faun shrugged, that was fine by him, he had no intentions of losing after all.

"So what's the game?" Declan asked curiously, he was more interested in the game than he had been in any other thing for a while now.

"It's simple." Faun said smugly, looking self confident. "You just have to catch me."

"Is that all?" Declan asked patiently.

"Don't underestimate me." He made sure to tell him, bouncing around dramatically.

"I'm not." Declan said seriously. "Do you want a head start?"

Declan's serious tone made Faun calm down, a furrow appearing above his brows. He could never predict Declan, the same way he could never hope to understand him.

It was just a game, why was Declan being so serious about it? It made Faun feel like he was the one doing the underestimating. That was dangerous for him.

"Yes." He gulped, blinking.

He had initially wanted to turn down Declan's generous offer but the fear of losing was greater than his pride.

Declan leaned back on the log, resting against the trunk of a nearby tree. "Alright, I'll count to 30." He continued calmly, looking incredibly relaxed.

Faun shook himself to get rid of the shivers trembling over his skin, it was clear that Declan was trying to unnerve him to get the upper hand.

Faun applauded his commitment but it was still just a game, why did he have that worrisome calculative look in his eyes?

Faun should have insisted on knowing what Declan's request was but he had been so self confident that he would win.

Declan was succeeding in unnerving him, he needed to get his wits around him.

"Are you ready?" Declan asked coolly, his eyes fixed on Faun.

"Sur… sure." Faun gulped, taking a deep breath.

There were no rules on how far he could go but it was safer if there was a time limit.

Declan seemed to be thinking along the same lines as well. "If I can't catch you in five minutes, you win."

Faun was caught off guard by this but his confidence returned in leaps and bounds. "Just five minutes? Sure." He grinned, agreeing without hesitation.

"Then, 1… 2… 3…" Declan started to count, watching Faun happily dash away, disappearing into the woods.

He was actually excited by the prospect of a game, he didn't think he ever got the chance to play games before so this was a welcome change.

But he wanted to win.

It might not seem that way considering that he gave himself quite the handicap but Declan planned to win.

He could still smell the scent of blue violets and a soft woodsy scent that Faun left behind, this would be over very quickly.

"... 29… 30."

Declan got up and took off in the direction that Faun had run in. Faun had really underestimated him, because he hadn't gone very far, climbing up a tree instead.

Declan slowed down when he got to where Faun was, looking around like he had no idea where he was.

Faun snickered quietly from where he was perched on a particularly tall tree, he wasn't concerned that Declan would find him, expecting the human to walk right past him.

He was hidden by the leaves of the tree if Declan ever thought to look up and that wouldn't happen because…

His train of thought crashed when he saw Declan unerringly make his way over to the tree that Faun was currently seated on.