The Hunting Trip (4)

A fireball shot out, striking the boar right in the eyes, blinding it. The boar reeled back and stomped its feet onto the ground in an earth shaking rampage, enraged from Remi's attack. The three tails at its back end flicked violently.

Demian and Remi were out hunting beasts while Ronni and Brendon were back at camp, taking a small break. They figured going out in teams of two, switching off every hour, would be fine for the first half of the day.

Demian called forth his ice magic, elongating the dagger in his hand into a long, thin sword that glittered a beautiful icy blue. He lunged forward while the beast was distracted and plunged it into its side. 

So far, they had only run into Giant Boars, Jackrabbits, and Fire Salamanders. There didn't seem to be anything too big lurking in these parts of the woods. They may have to travel deeper into the forest if they wanted something worth more than two points.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Remi asked after they successfully dispatched the overgrown beast. Remi's second power was light magic. He was capable of forming small barriers and healing most injuries. Though Demian had noticed that Remi's healing abilities far exceeded his ability to perform barriers.

"No." Demian made his way over to the six foot tall boar and placed a small ribbon on it before holding up the small red orb. "Transportari," Demian mumbled the command. That command word was used to activate the Warp Orb for when wanting to teleport something other than the user.

The orb flashed a red light that traveled up to the beast. In a blink, the giant boar disappeared. Demian shoved the orb back into his pocket. "Let's keep going."

They'd only been walking for ten minutes when they stumbled upon the creature. It was lucky of them to find one so quickly just after Ronni and Brendon had returned.

The two of them walked farther into the dense forest. The morning sunlight was barely visible through the tops of the trees. Birdsong and the buzzing of bugs filled the air.

"Hey, Demian-" 

Demian shushed Remi, cutting him off mid-sentence. He didn't want to hear whatever it was that Remi wanted to say.

Demian couldn't see it but he could feel Remi narrow his eyes at his back. "You can't avoid me forever." Demian knew it to be true but he could at least try. He didn't think his heart could handle hearing the truth from Remi's own lips.

The two of them continued on in silence for the rest of the hour. Demian had killed another wild boar and three jackrabbits, and Remi had killed an earth centipede.

The day passed by pretty much the same. The group would trade off for an hour each time until they decided to take two hours to expand their hunting ground. 

The sun was finally setting and the four of them had just finished a late dinner. Ronni brought out four sticks, his hand covering the base of them. "Everyone draws a stick. I have a number inscribed at the bottom of each. Even numbers will room in the same tent while odds will get the other."

"Can't we just pick who we want to sleep with?" Remi asked validly.

Ronni raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to room with who?"

"Brendon," came Remi's immediate reply.

"I'm fine with you or Brendon," Demian voiced, surprised that Remi didn't say his name.

Brendon looked between everyone with a sheepish expression. "I actually want to sleep with Ronni."

"That's why we're drawing sticks," Ronni sighed. "That way no one can argue that it isn't fair." He held the sticks out for them to each take one.

Demian pulled his and immediately looked at the bottom that had previously been covered by Ronni's hand. The number two was carved into it.

"I have three," Brendon voiced.

Demian turned hopeful eyes onto Ronni. Ronni held up the last stuck that was left in his hand. "One," was all he said.

Demian's shoulders drooped down minutely. That meant he was sharing with Remi, the person he wanted to avoid. Fate was really working against him.

He chanced a peek at Remi. To his utter shock, the boy who had been trying to get his attention for the past two weeks, was wearing a forlorn expression. What was his deal! Shouldn't he be excited! It was alright to try to talk to Demian but not to share a tent?

He made his way over to the large boulder by the stream and sat down. The light from the fire didn't reach him and so he was bathed in darkness, stewing in his thoughts.

Five minutes, maybe even ten minutes or longer passed by when the sound of footsteps drew near. He looked up thinking it was someone, possibly Remi, coming to talk to him. He was greeted by the sight of Remi undressing under the darkness. The clothes slid off, revealing the beta's smooth skin that was reminiscent of wet sand. Demian felt his face burn red as he looked away. "What are you doing?" He asked, trying not to fall into the temptation of turning around to watch.

"Bathing," Remi answered followed by the sound of water splashing.

Demian was so shocked that he turned his face to look at the beta. "You can't seriously be bathing in that?" So Demian never bathed in a stream or lake before, that was perfectly normal. What was not normal was stripping in front of practical strangers and dipping into questionable water.

"Yes," Remi chuckled, his dazzling eyes hidden in the darkness. "I'm dirty and would prefer to be clean before I go to sleep."

Right, they had been walking and fighting monsters all day. Demian took a tentative sniff of himself and wrinkled his nose at the foul odor. 

Remi laughed at Demian's reaction. "Care to join me. Ronni and Brendon plan on taking one later."

Demian hesitated between wanting to wash off and wanting to follow decorum. "What will your boyfriend say to you bathing with someone who isn't him?" He asked while he debated on what he should do. Join the beta he is undeniably attracted to or walk away?

This question caused Remi to laugh so hard that he slipped farther into the water with a loud splash. Once his laughing was under control, he wiped at the corners of his eyes. "Dane was right! You really thought we were having sex." The last sentence he spoke seemed to sober him up as Remi finally ceased laughing.

Demian gritted his teeth. "Are you trying to tell me that you weren't? You are neither an alpha nor an omega so that would be the only reason for your pheromones to be that strong."

"Because I'm a beta?" Remi questioned.

Demian nodded stiffly. Betas produce a low amount of pheromones, so low that they are almost undetectable. Their pheromone levels usually only increase during very heated intercourse.

Remi tilted his head as if he were contemplating on what to say. "There could be another explanation," he finally said. "What if I possessed a rare disease where my pheromones sky rocket when I'm exposed to strong alpha or omega pheromones?"

Demian found himself pausing. Was that true? Did a disease like that exist? "But you weren't exposed to any strong pheromones that day?" He finally spoke slowly.

Remi gave him a sad smile. "You were releasing them without realizing."

Demian stiffened. His mind quickly raced as he thought over that day's events. Sure enough, he had released some accidently.

Wait! If Remi did suffer from this type of disease then what about the pheromones that will be released accidentally during sleep?

"Is that why you wanted to share with Brendon?"

Remi nodded. "It is. But the good news is that I brought something to help me, just in case."

". . .Oh. . ." Demian looked down, kicking himself mentally. He had never even tried to entertain the idea that what he had witnessed two weeks ago could've been something else, a hidden fourth option.

"So. . .are you gonna join me or sit up there and pout all night," Remi's tone was light with laughter hidden within its crystal depths. He was clearly teasing Demian.

"I think I'll wait." There was no way he was gonna join Remi, not now that he knew he wasn't with Dane.

"Suit yourself," Remi said with a half shrug. He waded over to where his clothes had been deposited on the dry ground and grabbed a small mud bowl. Demian recognized the bowl.

Earlier that day, Remi had gathered some mud from the stream and shaped it into a bowl where he left it near the fire pit. Remi came back over to where Demian was sitting. "Wanna help me wash my hair?"

Demian's heart squeezed before kicking into overdrive. This beta was trying to send him to an early grave with all the flirting! "You! You're deliberately doing this!"

Remi cast him a devious smirk from over his shoulders. "Only if it's working." He turned around and propped his elbows up on the grass covered ground and looked up at him. "And it seems to be."