beat stuff [open]

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Hugo was free of the ground. His wings resonated the sound of happiness with each successive flap, stretching beside him as though he’d never felt the air before. The shifter shot as far as he could towards the morning horizon, dancing with the stray clouds as he did.

The beautiful Brookings extended beneath him — farther than he remembered — sky taller than he could see. Hugo’s mind was too full for silence, because he saw and admired every hue the sky’s canvas had to offer. It was a view so alien, distant to what many had been accustomed to. Every moment felt just as exhilarating as the last, every direction a realization that the world is truly more than what it was thought to be.

Hugo could have been anywhere. He was here.

The shifter gradually descended towards the forest, flexing his powerful talons and eyeing potential game. He perched onto a protruding branch. Swift shadows danced along the patches of sunlight. For just a moment, he noticed a small figure sprinting away from him. Hugo breathed in the cool air of the morning, reinvigorating his senses.

It was time for the hunt.

In an instant, Hugo launched himself from the branch, taking flight. His wings were like feathery sails, riding along a passing current. He took mental snapshots of the forest floor, loosely following the direction he believed his prey had gone. It was routine for him to observe the smallest changes on the ground. He was trained to do so. His attention was caught by grey fur: a squirrel skittering for safety.

“Found you.” Hugo dipped through trees, curving his talons. Excitement hammered his heart when he realized how close he had been to the rapidly growing figure. His mind had never been clearer as he refined his aim. “Patience…closer…closer…NOW!”

Snap.

A few short minutes later and Hugo was on his way back to Masquerade Academy, stomach full of squirrel. He was satisfied, or at least satisfied enough to avoid hunting for a second meal.

“Now, where did I leave my clothes?” He noticed a recognizable shack and swooped down to check. Upon landing, Hugo proceeded to hop his way towards the entrance. A screech of relief escaped his feathered form once he saw his backpack of assorted clothes. The shifter shuddered at the thought of losing them. Missing clothes had been one of the many horror stories within his clan. Not like it had happened to him, of course. The only course of action now was to shift and get his clothes onto him.

That was, until he heard the crunching of old leaves. Hugo shifted his attention towards the general direction of the noise, wide-eyed. He was ready to soar.

“Well, this is unfortunate.”

tags | open
words |  459
notes | bird hugo, best hugo.

[SELBY MILO KING]

HAVING spent most of her morning in the library, Selby decided that she need to get some sort of fresh air before she turned into a book herself and was put on the shelf. It did feel incredibly amazing to stretch her legs and take in the scenery of the gardens. Selby rather enjoyed the flowers and the small trees, they gave her a sense of nostalgia and she had lost herself for awhile. But then reality hit her again as the phone in her pocket beeped erratically. Selby had never been one for technology, and although smart phones were all the rage nowadays, she still wasn't used to them.

Shoving her hand into the pocket of her skinny jeans she fought with the phone for a few minutes before pulling it free. Jeez, these things are so big, and my pockets are so small. She hated that men got such big, expansive pockets while half the time she had to deal with pockets that were sewn such and just there for show.

The phone stopped buzzing and beeping and Selby glanced down at the screen, five words stared back at her: Meet me in the woods. It was from Dick, and although Selby wasn't one to disobey an order going into the woods was not exactly something she wanted to do. They were just trees and bushes and leaves... But something about the way they loomed over the rest of the area gave her a uneasy feeling.

Well, I guess I don't have a choice. She gripped the straps of her backpack, pulling them down to hoist the bag itself higher on her back and started walking towards the woods. She wandered up the path and into the trees and realized almost immediately that she had no idea where she was going, and was probably going to get lost. Which she did, ten minutes in and she couldn't even remember which direction to school was in. But she continued to walk, eventually she'd be free of trees again, right? Selby wasn't sure how far she'd gotten when her phone beeped at her again.

Lake side, fifteen minutes.

"Lake side... I don't even know what side I'm on now!" Exasperation lined her voice as she raised her arms to the sky. A bird soared overhead and for a moment she thought of her own pet owl, Trinity. But her owl was fast asleep in her cage back at the school, she was as nocturnal as an owl could get.

Selby figured that if anything she could follow the bird's direction and maybe make it out of the woods. Not like she was doing any better on her own. She changed course and after a few minutes came upon what looked like an abandoned shack. What really caught her attention was the beautiful eagle sitting on the wood's floor. It's tawny feathers caught the sunlight and she was awed by it.

"Goodness, what is a bird like you doing here?" Selby had always had a thing for birds, the idea of being able to fly free, have no worries, be at peace in the sky, all of it sounded wonderful to her. "C'mere pretty birdy." She bent over a bit, taking a very slow first step towards the eagle with a hand outstretched. "No need to be afraid."

five five seven

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Hugo flinched once he noticed the girl, wings unfurling and folding again in alarm. He felt his heart pulsing and his grip tightening onto the dirt beneath him. His avian instinct told him to disappear into the trees and let the foliage veil his escape—it told him to take to the skies. It told him to be better safe than sorry. But when the girl started to speak, the shifter found himself loosening his guard. Hugo tilted his head, feathers ruffling as he studied her up and down with a skeptical gaze. Her hands were free of weapons, she didn’t appear to be with others and her demeanor hinted that she wasn’t trying to hurt him. If she had any intention of inflicting harm, she would’ve already done it by now. Besides, she had called him ‘pretty’. If birds could smile, the eastern eagle would have smiled at the mention of the word. Hugo had always been a sucker for praise.

“You. I like you.” Hugo jokingly thought to himself, tilting his head to the other side. But why was she here? She seemed like a student of Masquerade. Was this for an assignment? Or was she just snooping around? Maybe both? Was she a trespasser? Should he tag along? The shifter allowed his curiosity to run amok.

Abandoning his belief that he was under immediate threat, Hugo hopped towards the girl, pausing a little over a foot away to observe his surroundings again in case he had missed anything. Nothing new. That was promising. Although the shifter couldn’t communicate with her through words, there were other methods to show his greetings. Hugo gave a mellow call before edging closer to the outstretched hand, hazel eyes fixated on her.

After a minute had passed, Hugo decided it was time to formally introduce himself. He hopped backwards to gain distance, began to spread his wings, and took to the air. The eagle entered the broken shack and shifted smoothly from eagle to human before sifting through his backpack for his change of clothes: a black tracksuit, gray beanie and cyan running shoes. Once he got them on, Hugo slung the backpack over his shoulder, slowly walked out of the shack and wiped his hands on his sleeves.

“Is the ‘pretty birdy’ still there?” A goofy grin shown on his face. He threw his head back, examining the sky above them as if he was in search of the eagle himself. He was, of course, teasing her. “Hi, I’m Hyuk Youn,” he turned towards the girl. “But everyone calls me Hugo.”

He ruffled his hair and pushed the brown bangs away from his face, reminding himself for the second time that week that he was in need of a haircut. Hugo tossed the shack another glance, contemplating whether or not leaving his bag at that location was safe.

“I’m assuming you are a Masquerade student?” He closed his eyes and felt the air flow into him. Into, then through, then out again. The clean air reminded him of flying. “So, whatcha doing in the middle of nowhere?”

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 515
notes | meep!

[SELBY MILO KING]

A FLUTTER started in her stomach as the eagle hopped closer to her. An excitement coursed through her at the thought of being able to pet even one of those gorgeous feathers. “That’s it, I won’t hurt you.” Selby knelt down closer to the ground, her arm stretching as far out in front of her as she could manage to get it. He was inching closer, ever closer and just before the tip of her fingers could brush its beak, the eagle was gone. Her smile faltered as she stayed in her awkward position for a few moments, unable to believe the horrible travesty that just happened.

“No!” She felt herself fall forward as she tried to reach a feather before it was gone. Her knees dug into the dead leaves on the ground and she rolled her eyes. “Darn it!” She felt a sense of loss and annoyance that she had been so close to the creature and it had managed to get away. All she had wanted was to pet it, or caress it… Or whatever it is you do to a bird. She wasn't going to hurt it, she hated that she couldn't speak to animals, or share their minds. In a world full of gifted people, why couldn't she have been lucky enough to gain one? Well, maybe she was lucky not to have one, the way the world was currently going.

Her hands were still on the ground as she stood up. Brushing them off on her jeans she reached into her pocket for her phone again. She still had no idea where she was, and now she was overly annoyed on top of it. She unlocked the screen and found herself glaring at the words staring up at her. She couldn't get to the lake, if she didn't know where the lake was. All she had as a marker was the shed in front of her, and it didn't offer any directions.

I don’t know where I am.

There, straight and to the point. As Selby pocketed her phone again she heard movement from inside the shed in front of her. Less than a moment later a boy stepped out the door and made her jump. “Oh goodness.” A hand flew to her chest as she laughed softly. “N-No. It flew away.” She frowned lightly as she regained her composure, how long had he been in there? She stared at him for longer than she probably should have. It took her a moment to realize that he had been talking to her.

“S-Sorry. Yes, I am. My name’s Selby.” She offered her hand, then noticed how dirty it was from the ground and retracted it. Rubbing it against her jeans again she offered Hugo an apologetic smile. “I was just out for a, uh, walk. And got lost…” Selby glanced up at the sky hoping she’d see a glimpse of the eagle again.

“How long were you in there for?” She felt embarrassed that he had heard her talking to an animal and felt a blush creep up on her face. “S-Sorry, you don’t have to answer.” She fidgeted with her backpack, feeling awkward standing there. She didn’t usually talk with people she didn’t know. Not because she was a prude, but because she was shy and conversations like this scared her.

“Are you a student?”

five seven four

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

“That’s a shame.” Hugo laughed, squinting as he gave the sky above him another once-over. She didn’t know it was him—how he was the bird she had greeted only a few minutes ago. Of course she wouldn’t know. A little part of him had hoped she recognized him as the eagle. Another part of him was relieved that she didn’t. For now, he wasn’t a shifter. He was just ‘Hugo’, plain old ‘Hugo’. Without conscious thought, the young man broke into another grin and covered his eyes from the sun’s rays with his hands. Maybe it was better this way.

“Selby.” Hugo repeated her name in a whisper, turning back to her as she spoke. His eyes initially noted the movement of her hand, but fell back onto her when she pulled it back. The shifter’s eyes lit up as he caught on—returning her smile with a polite nod. He remained silent, repeating her name once more in his mind. “Selby.” Was she a new student? Hugo bit the inside of his cheek, subtly glancing at the leafy twigs beneath his feet.

“Lost? Ah, I’m so sorry.” Hugo replied, offering a sympathetic look. Back during his first year in Masquerade Academy, the shifter always ended up lost in spectacular fashion. How threatening the forest was back then—when the ominous branches covered his exits and the knotted feeling wouldn’t go away! Fortunately, he still had his wings. But Selby on the other hand…

“It’s okay. I wasn’t here for very long.” admitted Hugo, motioning towards the backpack slung over his shoulder. “I was out enjoying a walk myself and decided to rest for a bit. And then I heard you. You aren’t gifted with the ability to speak to birds, are you?” Hugo teased, although his smile faded once he noticed her uneasiness.

“Yeah, I am a student.” He cleared his throat, shifting his feet as he glanced around him once more. There were no indications of the academy itself beyond the patches of sunlight, but the shifter noted how he came to the shack in the first place. “Been a student here for quite a while, too…” His voice trailed off as he caught himself in his musings. Hugo wasn’t quite sure if Selby would have appreciated an impromptu story.

“Anyways, that is not what I am trying to say!” Hugo returned to his jovial tone, a haughty smirk had shown on his face. “What I am trying to say, however…” he started, “is that you’ve hit the jackpot, Selby from Masquerade Academy.” His gaze returned towards her direction and he placed his hands on the strap of his bag, kicking the dirt underneath him.

“I happen to have an impeccable sense of direction. For example, Masquerade Academy is thataway!” He stopped to illustrate his point, turning his head so his hazel eyes would meet with the trail behind him. “And I am willing to help—all for the small fee of a conversation. Just tell me where you need to go. Or you could just follow me back to the academy.” The adventurous child within him had come to life as he spun around once to identify their location and began walking down the path towards the school. Then, he paused abruptly. He turned back, eyeing Selby with intrigue. A warm grin had shown on his face again.

“Well, what do you say, Selby from Masquerade Academy? I am at your disposal.”

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 572
notes | hugo is weird, sometimes or all the time.

[SELBY MILO KING]

THE MORE Hugo talked the more comfortable Selby became. She had never been one for conversations, and much like her newly acquired Guild Master she was a one word, or one grunt answer kind of person. She didn't have the energy to make long winded speeches, or to carry conversations on after they had died. She was an in and out kind of girl, get your answers and then get going. Hugo on the other hand seemed to enjoy talking and the more he said the easier it became for Selby to relax. She figured if anyone was going to hurt her they wouldn't start by talking her to death.

She smiled to herself for a moment before offering him a more sincere one. She had spent most of last year and so far all of this year in the library or in her dorm. Meaning she didn't know half the people at the school unless they came into the library for long periods of time. She was more comfortable around books then she was around people. But Hugo's animated personality didn't make her want to shy away. She glanced over her shoulder as he pointed the way back to the school and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's good to know." She turned back to face him, her mind suddenly turning to what she referred to as her Hunter instincts. She realized that Hugo more than likely had a gift of some kind, or was a shifter or something, and she figured now was as good a time as any to try and figure out the mystery behind him. "U-Uhm, actually, if you could tell me where the lake is, that would be awesome." Selby offered him another smile, her hand going to tuck her phone back in her pocket. She didn't feel that she would need it.

"Or you could walk with me." She actually sounded hopeful, the thought of walking around in the woods alone again didn't sit well with her. The eerie quiet and the way the leaves just crunched beneath her feet was weird to Selby and she felt much better in someone else's presence. "It would be really nice to have some company. I'm supposed to be meeting friends, but I got lost. Not very good with directions." She was starting to feel nervous, she never talked much and now that she was trying to hold a conversation with someone she felt her nerves turn into giggles and she couldn't stop herself from laughing softly.

"H-Heh, sorry. Just a little nervous out here." Her hand reached up to the strap of her backpack and she tugged at it. Her free hand raising to tuck some of her loose hair behind her ear. She smiled at Hugo hoping he'd be willing to walk with her to the lake and then hoping he wouldn't want to stick around, Dick would be there and that usually ended in disaster.

four nine four

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Selby’s spontaneous giggles caught Hugo off-guard. It was cute, and he chuckled in return. “No worries.” She definitely had her charms. And she said he was pretty, albeit he was an eagle. Where had she been all his life? The shifter knew he made the right choice—chances to converse with a girl like her rarely presented themselves at the academy. Hugo relished the thought of making another friend. Fate brought them together for a reason, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip from his grasp.

“And your wish is my command!” Hugo chirped. The boy faced Selby and took three steps closer towards her general direction. His eyes began to wander towards the rising sun, then to the trees. He had pictured himself above the wooden limbs, soaring with the clouds. It didn’t matter where they were—the forest of Masquerade Academy had been his hunting grounds for quite a while. Hugo had flown over the vast woodlands many times over and had the confidence in himself to locate the lake.

“Now, the lake…” He presented himself as if he was deep in thought—head tilted with his right hand as he vaguely looked upwards. His voice seemed to have been possessed by that of a playful child and lacked any worry that normally came from a concerned companion. “If we are here, and Masquerade Academy is there, then…” Lightbulb. Hugo’s eyes lit up. “Ah!” The boy turned to his right—Selby’s left—before pointing past the shrubbery into the ceaseless greenery. There was no trail, but he had been certain the lake had been in that direction. “The quickest way to the lake is this way,” he spoke as he marched towards the bushes, one hand on the strap of his bag to adjust it properly. “It will take a little while before we get there, but let’s get started. Shall we?”

Due to it being the morning, there was a lack of ambience that only made Hugo sound louder than he actually was. In the afternoon, there would normally be more shouting and tomfoolery that would take place in the woods. It all revolved around the liveliness of the students that frequented it, which was usually astonishing.

Hugo stole a glance at Selby over his shoulder, grateful that she had offered him to walk with her. He had a lot of questions to ask her and it was difficult to pick which one he wanted to ask first. However, the shifter was curious and not the least bit ashamed to show it. “So Selby, how long have you been in Brookings?” He paced himself, carefully stepping over the indentations in the dirt and maneuvering through the bushes. “I myself have been here for too long. I believe it’s been about seven or eight years.”

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 464
notes |  and hugo gets weirder

[SELBY MILO KING]

SELBY had never been very good at making friends. She was usually the quiet one in the back of the classroom who tried to hide the torn and dirty clothes. She had spent many of her free hours taking care of her younger brother or in the library sitting behind towers of books and papers. She eventually had to drop out of school to work in order to provide for her brother, and had lost many opportunities to be a kid herself. That being said she had never really been friends with any of her class mates, or any kids her age. Her current friends were older and in the same guild as her, and were more like over protective brothers than anything. And then Dick... But he was more of an overbearing uncle than anything else. But Hugo seemed a very easy person to befriend.

Selby watched him speak for a few moments, he seemed very energetic and it made her feel energized as well. She glanced at his backpack when he pointed to it, then returned her attention back to his face a smile planted on her lips. "Oh I wish. I wish I could be a bird too, the feeling of soaring through the clouds must be one of the best feelings." She took a moment to imagine herself with wings, gorgeous brown ones that stretched the length of her body and could carry her easily into the sky. She imagined what Brookings must look like, a lush green dot in the middle of a dry red desert.

She realized that she had closed her eyes and opened one up to peek at Hugo. Thankfully he was trying to figure out the direction to the lake and hadn't noticed her. She hoped anyways. Opening the other eye she watched him point over to her left where no path could be found and Selby felt another bout of annoyance and unease. She truly hated these woods, but for some reason she trusted Hugo almost completely and was willing to follow him if he could get her out of this place. Selby held back a bout of giggles as he marched over to where he was sure was the quickest way to the lake. She followed after him a smile placed on her lips as she tried to figure out what Hugo was.

A buzz rippled in her pocket and for a moment Selby didn't understand who would be talking to her today, and then quickly remembered that Dick was out here somewhere. Shoot. She pulled her phone out and glanced at the screen. I'll come find you. She panicked for a moment, her eyes growing wide in fear. the last thing she needed was Dick to ruin any chance she had of making a new friend. She unlocked her phone and typed ferociously, not even fixing her own mistakes before hitting the send button: Figured it put be theresoon.

She tossed her phone back in her pants and hurried to catch up with Hugo. A light sweat beading her forehead from the stress Dick was causing her. I swear... Her eyes watched where Hugo was stepping and she made sure to follow in his exact footsteps. He was more well versed in the terrain than she was and she didn't want to be the cause of any rumblings of dirt. "I've been here for about three years now, I think. It's hard to keep track sometimes." She hopped over a mound of dirt and glanced back up at Hugo. "Seven years is a long time to be here. It's quite boring, don't you think? Brookings doesn't really offer much in entertainment. Do you leave for the holidays?" She realized she was rambling and stopped. Offering him a squeaked sorry as she ducked beneath a branch.

six three seven

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Sorry. Hugo stifled his laughter. Surprisingly, Selby was more polite than he was and that was saying something. Still trekking onward, he raised his right hand towards the air and waved—it was his acknowledgment of her apology. “Ah, don’t be sorry. Feel free to ask me anything, honestly. And Brookings being boring…” The words trailed off, a hint of interest had flickered in his eye. Hugo’s lifted hand began to trace the outlines of tree limbs. Was Brookings boring? His lips were pressed together and he debated on what to say in reply. The rough bark helped him collect his thoughts as he hummed aloud.

“I guess I never really considered it to be boring.” Hugo replied sheepishly. He brought his hand back to his side as dried leaves crunched underneath him. Between his clan, family, social life and school, he never found himself wrestling with boredom. There was always something to do, regardless of how tedious it was. “There is a lot for me here—classes I want to attend, powers I want to understand and people I want to protect. Besides that, Brookings is by far one the most interesting places I have ever been to. Where else in the world would I get to see an alligator shifter so openly accepted?” His voice was like air—gentle but aloof. The corners of his mouth curved upward and he continued to take measured steps. “And where else would it be considered normal to notice several people create ice out of thin air?”

It wasn’t often that Hugo went off on his own tangents. Usually, he would have been respectful and courteous. But it was hard to anchor his mind at the moment, much less his mouth. He had the knack of transforming random ideas into obscure monologues. Halting his steps to a sudden stop, Hugo turned around and held one hand above his face, covering his hazel eyes from bright sunbeams before he smiled at Selby. “So it’s never boring. Or at least, that’s what I think. But I do leave Brookings during the holidays, mostly during winter break.” Hugo gave a playful wink, drawing himself out of his musings. Then he shifted his gaze towards the direction of the lake. It was still a while away, but they had made good progress.

“So,” he said, continuing on through the undergrowth and with the questions. “Where were you before Brookings? Was the place exciting? What was it like?” After a few minutes, his eyes fixed downward, avoiding stray roots and minding what had been underfoot. The small rocks occasionally made him wobble. Little critters shot past bushes. The ground had gotten trickier to read. Hugo huffed a sigh, kicking at a pebble and promptly slowed his pace.

“Ah, and watch out for the anything you could get caught on. Or step on.” It wasn’t the safest route, but he’d considered it the quickest. Unless he missed his guess that Selby wanted to arrive at the lake as soon as possible, he figured she wouldn’t mind. Nothing good ever came from being late to a gathering, after all. He’d seen his fair share of friendships that went sour because of tardiness to prove it, too.

Hugo’s eyes narrowed as the sun glanced off his face. The shifter made use of his heightened vision, tracing the brushy trees to make out shapes further ahead. He kept a mental note of the path they had taken and assured himself he wouldn’t need to shift to get back to the academy. If they stayed on course, the lake would soon come into his view. They’d need to anyways. He could almost feel the temperature rising as the morning went along.

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 616
notes | boop

[SELBY MILO KING]

SHE SMILED as Hugo spoke, he seemed to enjoy this place much more than she did. She envied that he actually got to travel away on the holidays and see parts of the world that might actually be intriguing. She hopped over an exposed root and brushed up against a pointed bush. It scraped at her jeans but otherwise did no damage. She stopped when he did, looking up at his face from a couple feet away. "I'm from Australia. My accent isn't as strong as it used to be, quite watered down." She laughed softly, her eyes moving along the tops of the trees as she tried to figure out just where they were again.

Her thoughts drifted back to Australia. The feel of the summer heat that just never seemed to stop regardless of the time of year. The crystal blue oceans that beckoned her and gave her a release from the stress of her day to day life. The endless amount of dirt and land that stretched for miles when you wandered too far from a city. All of it seemed so far away now, she hadn't been back there in a couple of years. Even when dick left for the summer holiday Selby was forced to stay behind. She hated it but understood that Dick wanted what was best for her and returning to Australia was going to bring back memories and emotions that would go against the progress she'd made in Brookings.

"It's quite beautiful if you ever get the chance to go. The water is clear and blue and the lands are quite something to behold if you ever venture out of the cities." Her heart hurt for a moment at the thoughts and emotions that her home land gave her before she shook her head and smiled up at him. "It's probably not much better than Brookings, boring wise, but it's a wonderful place to relax and let go and just be yourself. Here..." She trailed off, realizing that Hugo was extremely easy to talk to and she didn't want to burden him with her sob story.

"Nevermind" She smiled again, following after him while watching her footing. She was actually enjoying her walk this morning, and was glad she had ran into Hugo. Though she had wished the eagle had given her just a tiny bit of attention. Her eyes rose to the skies again, her hand raising to block the sun light as she searched for the pretty bird. Nothing showed and she returned her attention to walking again.

"Do you have a gift, Hugo?" She felt a little nervous asking him. She usually wasn't so forward, but she enjoyed his company and his conversation so much she didn't feel the need to watch everything she said around him.

four six eight

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Gazing up towards the sky and past the lush canopy of the trees, Hugo’s eyes shone with life. He knew nothing about Australia; he never read about it in his books and it was the first time he had met—or at least, was told by someone that they were—an Australian. He listened attentively, picturing paradise: dusty roads, wonderfully clear skies, magnificent buildings and a calming breeze. Flight over the wide expanse. Chances to meet joyful strangers. Opportunities to listen to the blissful hum of life. What Hugo would give to travel to Australia! Adventure and hopes started to scream within his chest, though the boy kept it, as well as a youthful grin, to himself.

The trailing of Selby’s voice, however, prompted a silent glance from Hugo. To his disappointment, she seemed preoccupied with other thoughts and he only nodded as she finished her story. He didn’t know why it ended, but he made a mental note to ask about Australia later. Seldom were there storytellers like Selby and Hugo enjoyed her delivery. Then, the question finally came.

"Do you have a gift, Hugo?"

His eyes momentarily shifted towards the floor before he stopped in his tracks once again, pausing for a little while. The question evidently struck a change in him and Hugo bit his lower lip. Should he tell her he was the eagle? Would it change how she treated him? Would she hate him for lying to her? He checked himself, fearing to appear distraught, and adopted a childish smirk. Turning around to face Selby, Hugo plucked a green leaf from a branch that hung over him. What was he going to do?

“Ah…not technically ‘gifted’. I’m a shifter, clan and all.” He said rather confidently. “And for what type and breed of shifter…” Hugo looked about him curiously as if his answer had been in the air. Then, the boy’s smirk broke into a wide grin. “Let’s play a game for that. You can take however many guesses you want for which kind I am until we reach the lake. If you win, I’ll owe you three wishes. If you lose, maybe I’ll show you. Maybe. But for now, it’s a secret. So…” His voice grew more elated. In his childlike glee, the shifter covered his mouth with the plucked leaf and gave another playful wink. “Ssh.”

Remembering the task that had been laid before them, Hugo turned back around before gasping quite audibly. He raised a free hand and gestured Selby to come over before pointing past the trees. In the distance, there had been reflections of timber and clouds. A faint, familiar sound of running water especially caught his attention. “Well, we’re almost there. Which means we don’t have much time left.” Hugo turned to her before continuing forward in a stride. “So Selby, are you game?”

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 471
notes | oops xD

[SELBY MILO KING]

THERE WAS an energy that Hugo had that Selby couldn't quite figure out. She was used to her guild mates who were all generally lazy bums. Her brother was a bit of a wild child, but she didn't see him much during the week since he was generally busy with his own friend and his own life. Selby was sometimes jealous of his ability to make friends so quickly and spend so much time around people. She had never been as outgoing as her brother was, she had learned to bottle her emotions and she would never dream of burdening him with her issues and problems.

And then she thought of it, rather suddenly and it made her smile and giggle softly. Whimsical. That was what Hugo reminded her off. A whimsical fairy flitting through the woods, high off life and love and everything good in the world. Selby wished she could have felt the same way about life, but she could only see the hardships and misfortunes that were at every turn. There was a pessimistic old woman living inside Selby and sometimes she wished she could go back in time and change everything.

With a smile on her face she followed him over to where he stopped and stared ahead. She couldn't see much either because of her height or inability to see what he was pointing at, but she could smell and hear the ripplings of water. It was a sound she was quite familiar with. Though she was used to the louder more booming sound of the ocean, than that of a lake. She felt happy in Hugo's presence, a smile still on her face as she turned to glance at him. But there was a sadness creeping in that their time together would soon be ending.

Would he talk to her once they were back at school and surrounded by people? Her insecurities were getting the better of her.

"Uh, sure. I guess." Selby couldn't help but laugh a bit at Hugo's idea. Playing games wasn't something she usually did, but she found the prospect exciting. "I want to say a cat... Or maybe a dog? You have a lot of energy." She felt silly at her guesses, she had never been very good at figuring people out, that was a job for someone else. But she continued to think about it and offered up another answer. "No, a bear cub." She giggled, that wasn't a serious guess, but thought it would be hilarious if he ended up being a bear.

four two six

HYUK "HUGO" YOUN

✿

[HYUK "HUGO" YOUN]

Cat. Hugo’s face, which had been beaming because of Selby’s agreement to play, changed to a wince, and a shiver passed down his neck. The corners of his mouth drooped slightly. “Sorry, I don’t think I’m any of those. And, ouch. Do I really seem like a dog?” He chuckled and arched an eyebrow her direction, purposely ignoring the feline idea. His tone had been playful and light. Being told he had a lot of energy made him genuinely happy. “Or a bear cub?” The leaves crunched underneath as he took another step forward, then he raised his free hand to his face and pictured himself with paws—gargantuan, sluggish, hairy paws. Who would ever want those clumsy things? Hugo snorted to himself before returning his attention to Selby.

Beams of sunlight started to blanket more ground with every step that he took; it was a sign that the dense trees had been waning, decreasing as they were closer to the lake. Hugo felt the cold air that crept up on him and was appreciative of its presence. The morning had been rather warm and the newfound coolness was rather comforting. He exhaled a deep breath before smiling again.

“Since you asked first,” He paused as if he was arranging his thoughts. The shifter figured that they didn’t only have to concentrate on the game. “Do you have gift, Selby?” There were still questions he had to ask—more answers he wanted from his mysterious friend. And he mentally prepared his questions, glancing ahead momentarily in order to make sure he wasn’t running into an unexpected tree. Thankfully, he wasn’t.

Hugo picked up his pace, reminding himself that Selby had friends she needed to meet. He had been fortunate enough to meet her already, and would have felt bad if he kept them waiting because he enjoyed talking to her. In truth, he would have taken detours, but he knew what it was like to sit idly waiting for another, hoping that the person would appear in the distance that very next minute. There were many times when his future Alpha was tardy to their meetings and it absolutely drove him insane. If only Hugo wasn’t obligated to look over that person…

Hugo ran his hand through his hair and sighed, alleviating his negative thoughts. Right now he was with Selby and he’d rather not think about his job at the moment. He knew it would only give him an undesirable headache.

tags | SELBY MILO KING
words | 410
notes | boop!