#baston

Things had been going well, until the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. A freak snowstorm formed midmorning on the second day while you were away from your campsite taking pictures. Visibility dropped to zero in moments and you were forced to take shelter in a narrow crevice between two boulders. By the time the storm had let up, six extra inches of snow had accumulated on the already snowy ground and evening was drawing nearer.

With daylight nearly none existent and temperatures dropping further, you were forced to make camp where you'd sheltered. Thankfully, you still had your rucksack that had the majority of the gear you'd packed. The little hatchet you'd brought wasn't ideal but it was enough to chop up deadwood and fallen branches, which gave you enough fuel for a fire that would last a few hours.

You ended the second day huddled up in your solar blanket next to a small campfire, eternally grateful you'd splurged and bought it last week. Hopefully visibility would be better in the morning so you could find your way back to your campsite. You only had a small package of beef jerky and a bag of trail mix for food but at least water wouldn't be a problem, so long as you could keep your fire going to actually boil some snow.

The weather on the third day was much clearer, although the temperature had dropped and you woke up shivering in the wee hours of the moment. After warming up for a little bit and eating a little of what food you did have, you set out to find your way back to camp.

Unfortunately, you were further off the trail than you'd originally thought and even with your compass, you were unsuccessful to get back and only ended up more lost. Still, you tried to stay calm, as there was no point in panicking. You only needed to travel East afterall and you would eventually leave the park.

Then you accidentally fell down a cliff. You'd only been trying to get a good look at the surrounding area, when the rocky ledge beneath your feet gave way and you were sent tumbling down a steep decline. While you were fortunate not to crack your head on a rock, you ended up with some major bruising on your torso and limbs. On top of that, your right ankle was incredibly painful to put any weight on and you were now even further away from your original campsite.

With your current condition, there was no way you would be climbing back up, so your only choice was to try to make your way around the mountain if you were going to get out of here. That is, if you even could get that far. Your ankle could be broken or at least badly sprained, which would make that walk twice as long.

For now, you managed to half hobble and half crawl until you found a sturdy stick that could support your weight. If you leaned on it, you could at least walk, albeit slowly. This was going to be difficult.

~~~

You walked for most of the day, only stopping to rest every few hours or if you spotted any decent fuel for the evening's fire that wasn't hard to carry. You tried to remain in high spirits and keep yourself distracted from the pain, but it was difficult.

You talked to yourself a bunch, both to distract yourself but also to keep any would be predators away. When you got bored of that, you resorted to singing some of your favorite songs instead.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, you began keeping an eye out for a place to make camp, ultimately deciding on resting near an old fallen tree. Since it would block the wind and help keep anything from sneaking up behind you, but it wouldn't protect you from the elements if it snowed again tonight.

You set about gathering more deadwood and anything that would burn good to add to what you'd already collected. The fire started pretty easily and you purified more water as well as eating more trail mix and jerky. You managed to cut some pine boughs with your hatchet to make a barrier between the snow and yourself this time, but didn't have the energy to attempt anything else. Having done what you could, you settled in with your solar blanket for another cold, restless night.

Just past three in the morning, you woke with a start to movement outside the glow of your campfire. You strained your eyes in the darkness around you, only to discover, to your horror, that there were multiple pairs of eyes watching you from between the trees. From the size of the creatures, you estimated they belonged to a small pack of wolves but you couldn't be sure how many there were. They appeared to just be watching you for now, but you knew they would likely jump at the opportunity if they thought you would be an easy meal.

You quickly added more fuel to the fire to create more light, hoping this would help to deter the beasts. But just in case the flames didn't, you grabbed your hatchet and walking stick, both of which were probably the best weapons you could use to defend yourself.

You kept surveying the woods and watching for any sign of the beasts should they approach. Whenever one seemed to decide to test you and step into your little circle of light, you shouted and smacked your walking stick against the fallen tree to scare it away. This worked for the most part, but the pack showed no signs of giving up just yet. You resorted to occasionally throwing chunks of snow and ice at them, hoping to spook them into running off, but that didn't seem very effective either.

As the hours stretched on, you were starting to become increasingly concerned that the wolves would never leave. You could count at least six individuals circling around the firelight and you didn't know what you would do if they decided to attack. You were tired, sore, and really wanted to just sleep. On top of that, you'd used all the firewood you had collected and your fire was about to die. When it did, you were afraid the wolves would no longer be held at bay.

Crack

The loud sound echoed throughout the forest and sounded like it originated from somewhere behind the fallen tree you were huddled up against. For a moment, you froze as your heart leapt into your throat. Even the wolves stood stock still, their ears flitting back and forth from something only they could hear.

Something else was out there.

Something big.

Something powerful.

Something that even these wolves were leary of.

You gripped your hatchet tightly in your left hand and using the sturdy stick, struggled to your feet. Whatever was coming, you were going to have to put on quite a show to even stand a chance.

But what could it be? Cougars were ambush predators and certainly wouldn't take on a whole pack of wolves. Bears were mostly hibernating during this time of year and they tended to only be aggressive over food or their young. There wasn't a single apex predator that you could think of who would have a reason to come after wolves.

You were barely able to comprehend what happened next. First, you heard something tearing through the snow off to your right. Then, a loud thunk followed by yelping from the wolves before they turned tail and fled for their lives.

You couldn't believe your eyes. Where there had been nothing but darkness before, there was the hulking figure of...something...hunched over a now very dead wolf with a massive axe embedded in what remained of its torso.

You didn't know what to do. This was no mere beast of the wild. No, you were looking at something far more monstrous. But now that the immediate source of his rage, the wolves, were gone, what would he do with you?

The hulking figure shifted and in one fluid motion, yanked the massive axe from the animal as if it weighed nothing. Dark liquid dripped from the edges of the blade, staining the pristine white snow with what you knew was the wolf's blood. The figure was breathing heavily and you glimpsed a sort of eerie red glow around his head as he turned towards you.

You gasped and a shudder ran through your trembling body. The figure in front of you was no man and he was no beast either. You were staring into the face of death itself.

A skeletal face stared back at you, unfeeling and uncaring. His right socket was blank and had splintering cracks around the edges. His left bore a singular, glowing, red eyelight that quivered at the edges and took up most of the socket it occupied. He had a wide, crazed grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat himself, but the most shocking thing of all, was the large, gaping hole that covered nearly half of his skull just above his still working socket.

And his attention was now solely on you.

You felt like how a mouse must feel when cornered by a cat. There was nothing you could do against the sheer display of power you'd just witnessed from this monster. So, you did the one thing you'd never done before when faced with a hostile predator.

You dropped your hatchet. It was a completely involuntary action. You'd just dropped the one thing you could reasonably use to defend yourself and all because you couldn't hide your fear. This wasn't anything like facing off against an angry mama grizzly. You would die horribly here.

You took half a step back but found your back against the old tree trunk. There was nothing you could do. You would've rather fought the wolves than endure whatever torture was awaiting you at the hands of this...monster.

The skeleton took a step forward, then another, until he was standing on the other side of your fire, that was now reduced to barely a few glowing embers. He kept hold of his weapon but slowly lowered it's vicious head into the snow.

"human..."

His voice was deep and guttural, rivaling the growl of even the largest of bears. Yet he spoke with no hostility, only stating the most basic of facts.

You swallowed thickly and inhaled a shaky breath. What did he want with you? He'd just saved your life, hadn't he?

"Th-thank you..." was all you managed to stutter. Immediately you felt stupid. A freak of nature just chased off an entire pack of hungry wolves and all you had to say was 'thank you'?!

He only grunted in response. Either he was a man of few words or he was feeling just as awkward as you were. You couldn't tell and his lack of conventional facial expressions wasn't making it any easier.

You could feel the way his singular eyelight was examining you. Although it seemed like he was merely assessing your current state rather than being perverted.

You cleared your throat awkwardly, "My name's (Y/N). What's yours?" You held out your left hand in what you hoped he'd only see as a friendly gesture.

A long pause. "baston," he answered in a quieter tone. He didn't shake your hand though, instead remaining stock still on the other side of your little camp.

You bit your lower lip nervously. "I see... Nice to meet you, Baston." You finally tore your gaze away from him and glanced down at the ground.

Oh right, your fire was basically out. You had spent all the precious fuel you'd managed to forage on keeping the flame bright enough to keep the wolves away. Without the warmth it had provided, you were quickly becoming chilled.

You saw Baston shift out of the corner of your vision and then he began walking away. "Wait! Where are you...?" Your desperate cries seemed to fall on deaf ears and his hulking figure disappeared into the darkness.

"Don't leave me..." You almost couldn't believe it, but with all the stress of the last few days, combined with the shock of what had just happened, you desperately didn't want to be alone any more. Even if your only company was a terrifying skeleton monster.

You sank to the ground and pulled your solar blanket around yourself. You had nothing left. Your energy was spent and you felt too overwhelmed to even begin to cope with this anymore.

~~~

The next thing you knew was warmth.

You smelled smoke and you could hear the distinct popping sound from a large bonfire.

You sat bolt upright, only to find yourself in some sort of makeshift shelter made of tented pine boughs. Barely giving yourself time to question this new development, you crawled out of the shelter and quickly glanced around.

Other than the roaring flames of a campfire that dwarfed any of the fires you'd ever made, your gaze immediately fell on your mysterious skeletal benefactor. He sat on a log that definitely hadn't been there earlier nearby the fire, patiently cleaning his weapon. Every now and then, he'd bring it close to his face and examine the edge, then resume his ministrations as if it wasn't sharp enough already.

He paused and then slowly turned his skull towards you, as if sensing your gaze. There was no emotion to speak of in his face but he didn't seem dangerous right now either. His red eyelight had shrank to about half the size of earlier which you weren't entirely sure what that meant. He seemed so relaxed right now, downright domestic even.

"Baston?" you asked quietly.

He tilted his skull in a questioning sort of way, but said nothing.

Taking that as the go ahead to continue, you decided to ask something else. "You helped me...again?"

"yes," was his straightforward answer.

"Why? What do you want from me?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment, before shrugging his massive shoulders and resuming wiping down his axe. You were wondering if that was all you were going to get out of him, when he finally responded.

"you were hurt...in trouble too. i just helped, not sure why."

You frowned slightly, "How'd you know I was...?" You trailed off, not entirely sure if you really wanted an answer to that question.

He had an indescribable expression on his face at that. "i tracked you...for a while. not hard to track humans, you make so much noise..." he murmured.

"How long is a while? I've only been out here for about three days, Baston." You weren't sure if you really wanted an answer to that question but it would drive you crazy just wondering about it.

He seemed to think for a moment. "about two days." He said it so casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to admit to effectively stalking someone.

You felt a chill run down your spine. All this time...he'd been nearby all this time. He could've killed you at any point and yet he hadn't.

"Why were you tracking me in the first place?" you asked cautiously.

"had to make sure you weren't up to no good. many humans come here. some are good and only look. some are bad and make a mess." He laid the axe down against the log, seemingly satisfied with it, before looking sharply back at you.

"but none come here in the winter. you're a crazy one, huh?" His permanent grin seemed to quirk at the edges and his working socket crinkled at the corner in what you thought was an amused look.

You felt your cheeks heat up and you looked away in embarrassment. Ironic, even he thought you were crazy. "Yeah, I am crazy. I like the snow and I like the forest. I even like how quiet it is compared to the busy city. It's just...freeing in a way, if that makes sense."

He studied you for a moment before saying, "yeah, the city's too busy. humans move too fast, nature takes its time. it's better that way." You got the impression that he was speaking from experience, but he didn't seem willing to elaborate further.

Now that it was brighter out, you could see him properly which certainly helped him seem less scary. His clothing was very obviously handmade and it was sewn from a myriad of furs and skins. While the craftsmanship was rough, you could see it was also skillful and rather creative.

Baston had a dull blue coat that looked like it had been dyed with a homemade dye and a large hood that was trimmed with what you suspected was wolf fur from the colour. Otherwise, he was also wearing pants, boots, and mittens although neither of these were dyed and were instead made from hides and trimmed with fur. Overall, his clothing looked very warm and comfortable which, while you had decent winter gear, you were still slightly jealous of him.

Baston made a sound like he was clearing his throat before asking, "are you hungry?"

You felt like you were starving and nodded. "Yeah, I haven't eaten much solid food ever since the first day I got out here."

Baston nodded and stood up. He moved to the other side of the fire and drew a large hunting knife from a sheath on his belt. To your surprise, there was a makeshift roasting spit with cooked meat on it. He carved a decent sized chunk out of the roast and approached you again. If you weren't so hungry, you probably would've thought the idea of plain meat was boring, but your body was craving protein and you weren't about to be picky.

You took the chunk of meat and ate it without thought or complaint. It was a bit tough and definitely tasted gamey, but you didn't care. It was good. You didn't notice until after you'd completely consumed the meat, that Baston had stayed put, simply watching you intently. He continued to stare and you were a little more than intimidated.

"Um, thank you, Baston." You frowned thoughtfully and asked, "Was that...the wolf from last night?"

Baston blinked and you realized he must've zoned out. He nodded and his permanent grin widened slightly. "yep, it's not a good time of year but i hate wasting a kill."

"I would've eaten it regardless, but again, thank you." You paused and looked away from him. Your gaze landed on his axe still leaning against the log and you had another question. "Do you hunt often?"

He shrugged, "whenever i can, especially this time of year when food is scarce..." His expression darkened significantly and his eyelight shrank further.

Feeling slightly alarmed, you tried to stand up to comfort him, but stumbled and nearly fell over. Before you could faceplant in the snow, strong hands caught your shoulders and kept you from falling.

Baston had actually caught you, and for a moment, neither of you seemed to have the ability to speak. His grip was like a steel trap and you could feel the sharp points of his phalanges even through his fur mittens.

You knew you were blushing from how embarrassing this whole situation had become. Of course you would forget that you were injured and make a fool of yourself by being clumsy. "Th-thanks," you murmured softly and looked away from him.

There was a long pause before Baston grunted in acknowledgement and hesitantly relaxed his grip on your shoulders, although he didn't let go entirely. Probably to keep you from falling again.

"i almost forgot you were hurt," he stated. "you should be resting or you'll make it worse." His voice had taken on a sterner tone and you couldn't help but feel like he was scolding you.

"I know, but I'm fine. I probably just sprained my ankle or something like that. It's not the end of the world, okay?" you retorted.

The look Baston gave you seemed like he didn't believe you. In fact, he actually seemed a bit shocked that you had brushed him off so quickly like that. "let me look at it," he said in that same serious tone, not even giving you a choice in the matter.

You huffed and crossed your arms, "You really don't need to. I told you I'm fine..."

Baston cut your protests off by suddenly picking you up like a sack of potatoes, eliciting a shocked gasp from you. He moved back over to the log and sat down, setting you in his lap as he did so. "i need to know you're okay and not just pretending to be, (y/n)," he murmured quietly.

You could feel his breath against your face as he spoke and inadvertently shuddered. Besides feeling rather intimidated right now, you were also a bit confused to put it simply. Why was he so insistent on helping you? What was his ultimate motive? Did he even have ulterior motives?

You sighed, "Fine, but be careful, promise?"

Baston hesitated for a moment but slowly nodded. "alright, fine. i'll be careful...i promise..."

You reluctantly took off your boot and sock, letting him take a look at your ankle. It had definitely swelled up a bunch since the fall, no wonder it hurt.

Baston took off one of his mittens and for the first time, you got to see how rugged his hands were. Unsurprisingly, he seemed to be made completely of bone, but more surprising, the structure was different from any human bones you'd seen and the bones that made up his palm were fused together. There was also a concerning number of noticeable divets and nicks in several of his metacarpals but you didn't feel comfortable asking about them

With a surprising amount of gentleness for a creature of his size and strength, Baston carefully traced the injured area, paying close attention to the joint itself but also the ligaments. You couldn't help but tense up a bit and while your ankle was sensitive, the pain was tolerable. He seemed to become engrossed in the action of touching your skin the longer he did so, but eventually he pulled away, seemingly satisfied.

"there's a good chance it's only sprained but you still need to be careful," he said as you slipped your outer layers on again.

You nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I know." You wanted to get off him but didn't know if he'd let you right now since he clearly didn't want you moving around too much. Besides, he was oddly warm...maybe you could stay here a bit longer, so long as you didn't overthink this whole situation.

Hoping to distract yourself, you tried asking another question, "Do you live out here alone, Baston?"

He grinned and looked down at you before answering, "nah, i live with my brother, hemlock. he's more of a home body so i take care of all the outdoor tasks. like hunting, trapping, and collecting firewood or other things."

From the sudden but pleasant change in his demeanor, you immediately gathered he cared a lot about his brother. It was sort of reassuring to know that for someone that looked so terrifying, he really seemed like a normal person under all that tough exterior shell.