#asstair

~ + ~

The way to his grandmother’s house was so familiar Malik could have made his way there blindfolded.

A forest grew alongside the path he took and between him and it was a long line of stones that pulsed with a faint inner glow that was barely visible in the daylight.

Malik adjusted the basket on his arm as he walked. The sooner he got to his destination the better, really.

And yet he slowed to a stop by a patch of flowers, which grew near the rocks, at the edge of the path.

The flowers seemed like they’d be something nice to bring with him…and yet he hesitated to pick them. It was not safe to wander so close to the Border.

Then he scoffed and marched over. Everyone he knew was afraid of the forest (Kadar always grabbed him by the sleeve and whispered how he thought the beasts in the forest would drag him away), and Malik had a healthy respect for the rules meant to protect them, but the forest didn’t seem so terrifying to him.

So he reached over to pluck a few of the flowers and tuck them into his basket.

He was reaching out for another (it was golden in colour and the smell was soft and fragrant). His fingers never pass over the stones, but maybe he was wrong about that because a clawed hand shot out from the under growth and grabbed him. (Monsters cannot pass the stones. Everyone knew that.)

A scream burst from his mouth (because how else was he supposed to react?), and he pulled back, but whatever grabbed him had a good grip on him and yanked him forward until he stumbled and fell forward.

He barely caught himself in time to avoid falling flat on his face.

When he scrambled up (panic making him shake because he wasn’t supposed to be on this side), a wolf pounced on him and held him down against the ground.

The creature growled and clawed at him. Malik tried to push it’s muzzle away in a blind panic, baring his teeth in his struggle. The wolf scratched at him, scoring deep wounds into his arms and face before it accidentally brushed against the red cloak Malik wore and it hissed and fell back.

Malik scrambled away, practically crossing the stones on all fours (and he thought, it was good that his mother had spelled the cloak with a protective charm). He was breathing heavily as he turned and stood, looking back towards the forest with his hands tense and curled like claws.

He grimaced at the forest and the wolf was still there, his claws tipped with Malik’s blood.

It sat there with eyes that were far too intelligent for any beast and Malik was still shaking as he pulled held his left arm against his chest.

The wolf opened its maw, it’s canines sharp and dangerous looking as it said, “call for me and I will come to you.”

Malik took one step back, followed by another. A deep breath helped ease the shiver that crawled all over this body.

Then he pulled his hood up and ran.

~ + ~

It wasn’t until he reached Grandmother’s house that he remembered the basket he’d left behind.

Malik gnawed on his lip as he pulled his hood down. Then he just sighed through his nose. Surely Grandmother would understand.

He knocked on the dooor. Once, twice.

“Grandmother? I’m here to see you.” But Grandmother had been bed ridden so Malik just reached up to the hanging planter near the door to take out the key and let himself in. His shoulders relaxed as he stepped through the door and shut it behind him, knowing that now he doesn’t need to keep looking over his shoulder to see if the wolf had followed him.

“Malik, is that you?” The voice was frail but familiar and Malik smiled a little.

“It’s me.” He cleared his throat, “I–I dropped the basket. I’m sorry about that.”

There was a pause from the other room, before Grandmother said, “it’s no problem, dear.”

Malik made his way to the cupboard and pulled out the kettle. “I’ll make you some tea.” It was something he had done often enough.

“Thank you, dear.” Came drifting out of the backroom followed by, “what’s wrong?” when Malik dropped the kettle.

The water that came out of the tap should have been clear. Yet it ran black and smelled foul (why did it smell that bad? How could it smell so strongly and yet his grandmother cannot smell it?). He gagged and slapped a hand over his mouth and nose as he hurried to turn it off.

“Malik? Is everything all right?”

“Yeah.” Malik swallowed hard. “Grandmother, we should take a look at your well. I think something’s wrong with it.”

Again there was a pause, then, “why do you think that?”

“It smelled.” He said staring at the black rivers running down the side of the kettle.

“Oh, that.” The voice said and Grandmother chuckled, “don’t worry about that. Someone’s coming to take care of it. Come to my room, Malik. I’ve missed you.”

???

Malik pushed the door open–

–and recoiled from the sight he saw.

“What’s the matter, dear?” The–thing said with Grandmother’s frail voice, but it was not Grandmother, but some large, black creature with long ears and sharp teeth that stank of rotting flesh when it opened it’s mouth to speak, “come closer so I can see you clearly.”

“Who are you?” Malik backed out the door, baring his teeth with a grimace.

“What a silly question, Malik. Don’t you recognize your own grandmother?” The last word came with a playful lilt but it did the opposite of reassuring him. (To be fair, if the thing had wanted to be reassuring it might have tried to avoid tilting its head until it was past the point any normal head should be allowed to turn. It may also had helped if it did not speak at all and kept the lights off.)

“Of course I would. But I don’t remember my grandmother having such large teeth or ears or–” He gestured to the thing’s overall appearance, “eyes that glow!”

Th thing blinked its huge eyes before its head snapped back into place. “You can see me?” Gooseflesh broke out all over Malik’s skin, like he was attempting to raise his hackles. “Er. Could I convince you that it’s to see and hear you better, my sweet, dear grandson?” It sounded a little hopeful even as Malik took another step back.

“And how would you explain the teeth?” But he wasn’t really planning to listen and it must have been obvious because the thing seemed to give a shrug before it gave up any pretenses of being anyone’s sweet grandmother.

“So it’ll be easier to pick you out of my teeth. Come here!” It…leapt wasn’t quite the right word. The thing seemed to stretch at high speeds and while that sounded ridiculous it was the single most terrifying thing in Malik’s life to see its black mass seem to crowd the entire room as it came for him.

Malik ran for the door, only to find it locked shut (who locked it? It hadn’t been him).

“Malik,” The thing crooned, “where are you going so soon?” Malik turned and there was nowhere to run. All around him, the blackness was closing in and it smelled strong enough to make him gag and press himself against the door. “Stay a while, won’t you?” Something came up to grab him by the chin.

The blackness closed in from all sides and its putrid stink left Malik disoriented and lightheaded. When the thing opened its mouth, Malik remembered the wolf in the forest.

Call for me and I’ll come for you.

He screamed, “Altair!”

Then he heard glass shatter as something push against, then through the blackness. It barrelled into the appendage holding onto him, clamping its jaws onto it.

There was a spray of black and a howl (of pain) as the blackness retreated from the corners of the room and slinked back into the form Malik had seen in the room. He fell to the floor and slapped a hand against his mouth and nose as the wolf growled from its place in front of him.

He was still trying to make sense of everything when the thing accross the room roared, “you!”

The wolf growled, before he leapt again, locking his jaw around the things throat. Black gushed out as the thing wailed, then gurgled The black fluid soaked into the wolf’s muzzle and made Malik feel sick to his stomach as the smell seemed to permeate everything, come in through his nose, knock him over the head before settling in the pit of his stomach like a stone.

He lurched forward and threw up in time with the thum pf the thing’s body hitting the ground. He was still panting his hands bent like claws over the floor as a muzzle pressed against his cheek.

Malik tried to sit back but really only succeeded in falling backwards.

The wolf whined at him, stepping closer.

“How did you–were you following me?” He demanded and, strangely enough, the wolf’s tail seemed to tuck between its legs.

“I had to keep you safe.”

And no matter how much Malik wanted to scream at the wolf, he knew he shouldn’t. He stood on shaky feet. “Where’s my grandmother? Did that thing eat her?”

The wolf sat down. Its muzzle was still inky black. “The grandmother you remember never existed. This,” It indicated with a turn of his head tio indicate this whole place, “is nothing but a farce meant to put you at ease so they can take your blood.”

“Why would they want my blood?”

“Because you are like me.” When the wolf stood up, the motion was strange and it took Malik two seconds to realize that as its limbs straightened out they also grew longer and thicker, its very shape changing until it was a human that stood before him (not naked against all conventional wisdom). “You are from the forest.”

“That’s impossible.” Malik spat. “I was born in the small settlement nearby. I live in the same cottage with my mother and brother. The same one I was born in! I have never been in the forest–” Except this morning, “–and I am human.”

The wolf-man let him speak his piece, and didn’t move any closer even when Malik was finished. “When was the last time you saw anyone else?”

“We’re spread out. The closest family is–”

“But when did you last see them?” The question was so reasonable and malik was close to snapping an answer at him. But he couldn’t–he couldn’t remember. “Even if you live far apart you must have seen them before. or know their names. What are their names, Malik?”

“I–” He clutched at his head that suddenly started to hurt. “Shut up! There’s a woodsmen. He–” lives somewhere. He must but where? Before Malik could regain his footing, the wolf asked,

“What does your mother look like? What did she say when you left?”

“She said–she said to take the food to grandmother. That she hadn’t seen me in a long time. I–” Malik groaned and sunk to his knees. The pain in his head was getting worse and the smell of the cottage didn’t help at all.

“What did you do yesterday?”

“Shut up! I don’t–”

Malik’s eyes snapped open when he was grabbed by the shoulder. “Think! Malik, you have to try!”

“I–”

What did he do yesterday. He played with Kadar. And he–

–went to see grandmother. He had gone inside, talking about a strange wolf that tried to convince him to go off the path and there was his grandmother, indistinct but familiar offering him a drink of tea and then he was falling, falling to the floor and–

The whimper slipped from his throat and he curled in on himself tighter.

“I was here. But why–”

His arm was held and, very slowly, the wolf rolled up his left sleeve. Underneath it was a crisscrossing pattern of old knife cuts that Malik had never noticed before. “What is this? What’s happening?”

The wolf scowled deeply at the wounds on his arm. Then pulled Malik up. “Let’s leave this place first.”

Something niggled at him as the wolf pulled him out of the cottage, and when they took a step onto the cobblestone path he figured out what it was.

“How did you know my name?”

The wolf turned back to look at him (and Malik’s heart thudded hard in his chest, like adrenaline, maybe, but really more like–).

“How did you know mine?”

~ + ~

Kadar looked up when he heard the gate squeak from the game he’d made of a bunch of stones in the dirt. He stood up abruptly when he saw Malik come through the gate. “Brother!” he ran to Malik with wide eyes, not even reaching his waist, “you’re back early…” His tiny hands reached out to grasp at Malik’s cloak.

“Am I not supposed to be?” He said and normally it’d be teasing but this time, when he dropped to one knee in front of his brother (his red cloack still pristine despite the black stains on the rest of his clothes), Kadar’s face screwed up like he was about to cry. “Tell me the truth, Kadar.”

Because Malik had always valued honesty. Because his brother knew that and had always–

–but always was not as long as Malik thought because Kadar’s pinched face turned pink as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

“You’re supposed to be at grandmother’s house. They–they promised they wouldn’t hurt you.”

“They lied.” Was Altair stepping through the gate. “Maybe they didn’t hurt him now, but they’re slowly killing him.” He snarled, baring his teeth that took on a canine edge when he got angry. “And you’re helping them.”

“No!” Kadar screamed, burying his face in Malik’s chest.

“Look at him! Look at how much weight he’s lost! You know it’s–”

There was a growl in the back of Malik’s throat, feral and dangerous. “Enough!” His arms tighted around Kadar protectively. “Enough.” he said, softer because Altair looked so hurt. He looked down again. “Kadar.” But he shook his head and didn’t answer. “Kadar, did you take my memories.”

There was silence. Then, “’m sorry.”

The admission of guilt broke his heart and Malik shut his eyes against the words that he hadn’t wanted to believe when Altair said it.

“Why? Kadar, why would you do this?”

“Because I needed him to.”

Almost immediately, Altair crouched low and turned, putting himself between Malik and the woodsman that came into their yard. Kadar whimpered and Malik drew him in closer.

“Robert De Sable.” Altair snarled, “I should have known you’d be behind this.”

Robert swung the axe in his hand absently. “I should have killed you when I had the chance. Both of you.” He looked past Altair’s shoulder at Malik who growled at him, keeping his arms around Kadar protectively.

Altair backed up two steps so they were closer, in a low voice he said, “run to the forest. Don’t look back.”

Maybe Altair thought Malik would leave Kadar behind, but that was simply not going to happen so he brought one hand low to hold Kadar more securely.

When Altair went after Robert, ducking under the swing of his axe to launch himself at the man, Malik hoisted Kadar up and ran. He was through the gate when someone grabbed him by his cloak and Malik felt it pull him back until Kadar shouted something in a language that made gooseflesh rise on his skin.

The cloak and the brooch holding it closed glowed then he heard Robert scream before he stumbled forward. He only barely managed not to fall, cursing as he ran forward. The forest loomed closer and he thought, beyond the rocks, passed the path there were monsters.

(But then he thought, there were monsters here and better the ones you can’t see than the one chasing you.)

He threw himself down the last few feet, unable to stop his momentum and ended up falling into the brush.

“What are you doing?” Was Altair, his muzzle blood stained (also black) as he barked the words at Malik, “keep running!” Then he had to move aside as Robert’s axe buried itself where Altair had been standing.

Malik stood up, holding Kadar more securely against his chest. “Altair!” He was rooted to the spot and he didn’t know why (and Altair looked back and thought, stubborn fool!).

Altair growled one last warning at Robert before he ran back into the forest. When he ran past, Malik had already turned around to run deeper into the forest.

Beyond the trees, there was an outraged scream.

~ + ~

They stopped at a stream and Malik managed to coax Kadar into letting go, though he was still clinging to his cloak.

“Who was that?”

Altair’s ear twitched as he stood listening for sounds of anyone following them. “An old…enemy I suppose you can say. We stole something from him.”

“Why?”

“Because it was too powerful to leave in his hands.” Altair cocked his head and now that he was a wolf again, his pupils had a more animalistic shape to them. “It was your idea.”

“Well.” Malik said and didn’t follow it up with anything. He looked down at Kadar. “Will he come again?”

“He cannot enter the forest. Monsters cannot pass over the stones.”

Malik had half a mind to say that Altair was the monster, but thought better about it. Then there was only the babbling of the water to fill the slince until Altair stalked towards them.

“Take off the cloak. Whatever magic was cast on you to alter your memories are tied to it.”

“No.” Malik said and watched how Altair’s hackles rose in response.

~ + ~

Malik thought, if he were the sort of wild, vengeful creature Altair was then he’d never forgvie Kadar for this whole ordeal.

He though, regardless of who he was in the past right this moment he was Kadar’s only family and he would not abandon him.

~ + ~

He said, “Find a place where Kadar can be kept safe from that man and I’ll return your mate to you.” and knew that he was signing his own death warrant.

~ + ~

Altair led them to something that looked like a fortefied town.

“This is Monteriggioni.” was the brief introduction they received before Altair led them to the heart of the place where a large villa was (and along the way no one so much as glanced at the fact that they were a man, a child and a wolf walking through the streets).

They were allowed entry when they reached the door and the most unsettling thing was that people seemed to recognize him.

One person, a youth with a scar like the one on Altair’s lips ran up to them. “Malik! I see Altair has found you–who is the child?”

Malik shied away from him with a frown as Kadar ducked behind his legs. Rather than explain his strange behaviour, Altair asked, “Ezio, where is Leonardo?”

“Ah,” Ezio said, clearly disappointed by Malik’s cold greeting, “he is in his workshop.” He looked at the child clutching Malik’s robes and he said, “hello, little one.”

Kadar squeaked and hid his face behind Malik’s legs.

Malik said, “let’s go.”

~ + ~

Leonardo, as far as Malik could tell, was a witch who was far too friendly and energetic to be around for long.

Yet when he crouched down to Kadar’s level to greet him, Kadar’s blue eyes widened and he let go of Malik’s cloack with one hand to reach out for Leonardo.

“It’s because they’re both witches.” Altair said as they watched Kadar listen to Leonardo talk witgh rapt attention. “he can probably sense his magic. It doesn’t help that Leonardo is good with children.”

Malik nodded mutely. “And he will be safe here?”

“The Auditore are powerful. Robert De Sable and his people would not be able to reach this place even if they could cross the stones. And Leonardo will be able to teach him to use his powers.”

“Do you swear it?”

“Yes.”

~ + ~

Malik considered leaving without saying goodbye, but didn’t want to risk Kadar running away to look for him.

He hugged the small boy tightly like he may never get the chance. “Whatever happens, remember that I love you.” He said and felt Kadar nod against his shoulder.

When they pulled away, Kadar said in a quiet voice, “will you ever come back?”

He shook his head. “No.”

~ + ~

Their home, as it so happens, was a not insignificant distance from Monteriggioni, but Leonardo could arrange for quicker travel arrangements.

“I know you don’t like travelling by magic–”

Malik interrupted him, irritated at the familiarity with which everyone spoke to him with. “It’s fine. I just want to get this over with.”

Leonardo looked at him in concern, then looked at Altair whose face was an unreadable mask.

“We appreciate any help you can give us.” Altair said. Malik snorted and tried not to think about what waas happening.

~ + ~

They disappear inside Leonardo’s workshop and almost immediately reappear it is inside a circle of blue stones in the forest.

When the world rights itself Malik bends over and threw up.

There was a human(-like) hand rubbing on his back and it makes him flinch even as his stomach heaves and tries to empty itself.

When he was able to stand up straight again, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared. “Don’t touch me.” He said (and did not stop to consider the expression on Altair’s face when he turned and stalked away).

~ + ~

They left the circle of stones and eventually came to a small cottage. It was fenced in with a wild looking garden just outside it.

There were faintly glowing stones set into all for corners of the fence and on either side of the gate they walked through.

Malik was still glaring when they went inside where strange herbs hung from the ceiling and the blend of them left an unpleasantly aline smell in the air. As the door shut bdhind him, Malik reached up to undo the clasp on his cloak.

He pulled the red cloak off and said. “I don’t feel any different.”

Altair sighed, he was getting a fire started in the hearth using a device with glowing glyphs carved onto its bottom rim. It spat fire when Altair opened a small door on the side, lighting the hearth near instantly. “Leonardo says we’ll have to burn it.” He closed the small box and placed it back onto a high shelf. Then sat down on a pile of fur (they didn’t even have a bed. That made Malik wrinkle his nose. How uncivilized). “Take off your clothes too.”

Malik did so with violence. “Shall I burn these too?” He sneered and the fact the way Altair nodded (without smugness or arrogance or gladness) made him angrier. He tossed all of it, the blood red cloak and all his clothes into the fire.

“There. Are you happy now?”

Altair’s jaw clenched and didn’t answer, but gestured for Malik to come closer. He did (because he had promised, because from the moment he had thrown the cloak into the fire he had, in essence, began dying), but then stopped after a step. As the fire licked its way accross the fabric, Malik became dizzy. He clutched his head just as Altair came to him, holding him up against his chest.

“Altair–my head. It–”

He fell and Altair went with him, holding him securely while saying, “don’t fight it. Malik, just close your eyes.”

And he did.

~ + ~

There was awolf following him along the path. It pleaded with him to not go.

“Malik, you need to come with me. They’re going to kill you at this rate. You need to–”

But he just ran and didn’t listen. You couldn’t believe in wolves. They always lied.

“Malik! I found you!” There was such relief in those words when a man with wild, golden eyes came out of the forest.

“Who are you?” Malik asked and took a step back. The man reached for him, but Malik hit him and ran.

It was a trap and Malik snarled at Robert De Sable, struggling between two forms but unable to achieve either as some sort of poison made its way through his body.

A small body ran into Robert’s leg and grabbed onto his pant leg with a white knuckled grip. “Don’t hurt him! Please!”

Robert gripped the child by his hair and Malik bared his teeth and snapped at air.

“That depends on you, little witch.”

Kadar’s eyes turned to him, blue and filled with tears, right before he reached out to touch the folded cloak that was presented to him.

There was a small child beyond the forest. Malik really shouldn’t go past but even he could sense that this child was not only a witch but a strong one. “What is your name?” Malik asked from behind the safety of the stone line that separated the forest from the places where monsters dwelled.

“My name is Kadar.”

“Well, I’m Malik.” Then it was, “you should come back over to this side where it’s safe.”

“But the monsters might get me.”

“There are no monsters on this side of the stones.”

There was another body pressed against his back and teeth nipping teasingly at his nape. Altair smiled against the skin of his neck and said, “Malik, wake up.”

Malik whimpered, curling up like it could distance him from the pain.

“Malik.” A familair voice said, running a hand over his hair. “Malik, turn back. It’ll be easier.”

His head was close to exploding, it felt so full, but the voice was soothing and a part of Malik thought, what nonesense was that? Transform? What–

–but he did know how, didn’t he?

It wasn’t a concious decision to go from two legs to four. He simply shifted because the trap had failed and their dinner was going to escape. As he did the world changed, sounds became sharper, his balance was different and smells became multifaceted. He could pick out the smell of fear, of fur and of colour, and he ran after the deer that was crashing through the trees with a growl–

Malik whined, pawing at the ground until a hand settled at the top of his head, stroking there.

“It’s okay, Malik. I’m here.”

And the smells he could detect were so familiar and comforting that he turned his nose, burying it against the source of the smell and let himself sleep.

~ + ~

Malik didn’t know how long he stayed like that, laying around and dreaming (remembering). He thought he might have woken up once, to Altair sleeping along side him, also taking the form of a wolf. The familiar scent of the herbs they’d hung up to dry, the warmth of Altair’s body at his side, rising and falling in time with his breathing had lulled Malik back into sleep.

He had been dreaming again when he woke up again. In it he–

–was nine and chasing Altair around in the forest. Altair had learned to turn into his Other Shape a year ago and he took advantage of that to escape into a nearby tree which Malik could not climb without thumbs.

“No fair!” He put two paws on the trunk and snarled.

Altair laughed until Malik got fed up with him. He considered curling up under the tree, but that’d mean he lost and he was’t going to lose! His scrabbling paws became longer and his claws shorter, and soon his fingers scraped painfully against the bark and Malik jerked back with a hiss before he realized that his hands were now–

–human again as he pushed himself up. Altair was cooking something over the hearth and even in this form, where smell was less powerful a sense, it still made his stomach growl loudly enough to catch Altair’s attention.

He smiled at Malik who was clutching his stomach and blushing. “Stop smiling at me.” He said but crawled over to Altair and sat beside him. He was naked and completely unconcerned as he leaned against Altair’s side. “Will it be ready soon?”

“Soon.” Altair said and left the meat to cook over the fire. (It was rabbit, Malik breathed in, rubbed with rosemart and thyme.) He took one of Malik’s hand in his and frowned guiltily at his forearm, still scarred from where he’d been scratched. “I’m sorry.” For attacking him (and for tipping his claws in enough poison to force Malik’s body to instinctively push all the toxins from his body, including the ones that dulled his eyes and nose).

Malik pulled his hand back so they could lace their fingers together instead. “I didn’t give you many options.” He leaned in and kissed Altair on the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for coming for me.”

Altair turned his head to kiss him properly. Altair kissed him like he was hungry for it, and Malik pushed back against him, not to find escape but to be closer.

“Altair,” Malik gasped when Altair pushed him down to the floor, teeth scraping against his neck, “the food–” Then, when it was clear his mate wasn’t listening, cuffed Altair on the head lightly. “Stop that. You’ll burn the food.”

Altair pushed himself onto his elbows and frowned at him. “I don’t care about the food.”

“Well, I do.” Malik said plainly. pushing Altair further back. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

Altair allowed himself to be pushed back to sitting and Malik could imagine how his ears would be flat against his head in disapproval of his priorities.