A/N: HELLO MY FLUFFY LITTLE BUNNIES thank you all so very much for sticking to this story! I read every single one of your reviews and Im every so grateful that you are enjoying it. As Nanowrimo comes to a close, Im going to release more chapters out for yaall to enjoy! 3 Reviews and favourite keep me alive!

Kurt was perturbed for two reasons and two reasons only: number one, the fact that he willingly admitted that Blaine reminded him of Elizabeth and number two, Blaine Anderson himself.

Perhaps heavier dissatisfied worries floated about aimlessly in his mind; like the fact that he had zero idea where they were in this damn woods or how Blaine Anderson continued to remain alive even after flicking his face with a branch. He frowned at that thought: he must be truly on edge to have been so inattentive.

Grunting his disproval at himself, Kurt kept his gloved hands in his pockets, feeling suddenly vulnerable at the idea of Blaine now knowing a little bit too much. Maybe he shouldnt have said it, but with all that prodding and emotions that leaked viciously out of that boy as if it was a faulty tap, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

He cursed himself for not holding back his inner thoughts.

Faltering in his steps, he hung his head solemnly: as he directed those words to Blaine, he realised how pathetic he sounded. Like a useless mess, clinging onto something that he couldnt have. He promised time and time again to never look back but somehow, the past crawled back every single time he brushed it away.

Kind of like Blaine - considering the fact that the boy hadnt given up his hopes of ever trying to be friends with Kurt and unremittingly fighting through his unabashed one-sided conversations with the him. The brunette admired his determination but it was frankly, getting a little tad out of hand.

"We should stop for a moment." Blaines hushed voice sliced through the cloud of thoughts in Kurts mind.

Noiselessly, the hunter agreed. After the skirmish with the werewolves and hiking, even he was getting imperceptibly fatigued. Warily, he leaned against a thick spruce tree and slid leisurely down until he was seated at the foot of the towering guardian, bow clanging softly as Kurt placed it down beside him.

Whilst he shifted the arrow back into his quiver, he felt the unwavering gawk that came from Blaine. The brunettes lips unfurled into a frown and he regarded the other boy with a pointed glare. The dark haired boy had begun to take a seat beside the hunter.

"Dawn is about to break." He announced frigidly, inching away from the boy. "Well be able to cover more ground when the sun is up."

Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to rest?" The other boy enquired gingerly, situating his sword next to him with, his hands still tightly clasped around the leather hilt, poring over the silver glint that reflected beneath the moonlight of the blade, "Ill take first watch."

Kurt shrugged in response, attending to his torn pants and fussing over the hole on his left thigh that seemed to have materialized after the battle with the werewolves. Probably a grate from the hard rocks when Blaine pushed him onto the ground, he pondered brusquely, caressing the skin that was visible under the tear.

They remained unvoiced, the sounds breeze rustling through the tranquil and relaxing forest. The hunter found himself gradually giving up on keeping his half lidded eyes open and let his body recline against the hard wood. In the silence, Kurt found seeping thoughts flood his mind, drained out from everything that had happened; it seemed, in that instant, his entire body was barren as if his life was drawn out from him.

Dread seized him for a moment and his eyes slammed open in a wild frenzy before he realised that there wasnt a beast that was capable of doing so without him noticing.

He heaved a sigh, shutting his eyes once more.

His mind was unravelling slowly, bit by bit, the waves of melancholy battling the stillness of his head. He felt a twist of disenchantment in his gut when he realised that he was sitting here whilst Burt was out there in the cold night, probably in peril. Before he could process that terrible thought, another awful notion burst into his head: Brittany is dead and I will never get to apologise.

The night suddenly felt pale, miserable, with the darkness spread over the horizon and Kurt tried his hardest but he couldnt find the willpower to banish the thoughts from his head. The pain of the sudden loss hit him like a freight train.

First Elizabeth, then Brittany – and no way in hell did he want to think about what would happen to Burt.

Anguish suffocated him with its cold hands as he fought to keep his cool.

Clenching his fist together, Kurt wrestled with the distress that gripped him out of the blue. He had been so preoccupied fighting and sneering at Blaine that when his mind was finally at ease, the disentanglement of sorrow collapsed onto him.

Humans learn that humans die and from a young age Kurt knew that it meant that they would be gone, forever in the dark and dissolved into the soil. He also realised, with disquiet, that dying is easier than waking up every morning into a world that tries its best to hurt you.

Its a lot easier to stay angry than to admit that he was hurt.

Blaine broke the resplendent silence.

"I let go," The calm hazy voice breathed into the night, "Swimming against the current? It exhausts you. After a while, youll have to just let go and the river brings you home."

Kurts eyes fluttered open but his body remained still. Petulantly pensive, he eyeballed Blaine mistily, the dark haired boys focus on the night sky above.

"Only the things you no longer have remain perfect in your head. Thats why you keep holding on. Its brainless to just mindlessly say let go and move on," Blaines lips were moving unhurriedly, "So Ill tell you this: the most important step to lifting that burden is to accept it and forgive yourself."

There was a pause as Kurt stared incredulously at the other boy.

"All this talk about exoneration but have you absolved the disdain for your own brother?" He gibed haughtily, flashing the other boy a dagger glare. "Do you think that things will fall back into place if you did? I have no idea what happened between the both of you but what makes you think that accepting that resentment and forgiving Cooper will fix everything?"

"I never said it will fix everything." Blaine mused inaudibly, "But it will calm the storm in your heart so you can see clearly."

Kurt scoffed coldly, narrowing his eyes and fixing his gaze into the murky night sky, stars peeping down like silver asters. In their silver solar isolation, the brunette found himself marvelling at the splendour of the knotted arms of the spruce trees, rising above him as far as his head could lift, as if trying to touch the stars that glittered in the blue hue.

"You wouldnt be able to see the stars if there were clouds that billowed and blocked the way, now would you?" Blaine sounded like he was smiling.

The hunter let out an annoyed huff as the other boy let out spasmodic chortles from his side.

"Stop being so sentimental," came the rebuke, "I dont need your guidance nor do I want it."

There was a soft sigh and a thud.

Taking a quick glimpse to the right, Kurt noted that Blaine was now lying onto the clumpy snowy mossy mattress of the floor, his eyes shut tight, deep in thought. Part of the brunette felt obliged to say something to remedy the sudden tension that lit up between them but he did not say anything. There was no point – or rather, no words to natter.

"Its alright to miss her." Blaine whispered into the night, his voice bright as bells.

Dreadful longing twisted like a coil in Kurts gut. The composed murmur reminded him once more of Elizabeth, stinging his heart with ache and a poignant scoff escape his lips, unable to comprehend the situation at hand.

There they sat in the depths of the winter grove, vulnerable to predators that lurked the woodlands but doing nothing other than talking about feelings that harboured a protracted mark in Kurts heart. To even think that the hunter was openly conversing with a boy that kind of caused havoc in his life; it was outlandish.

But hes trying desperately to fix everything. Kurt added internally, frown deepening. Just like Elizabeth, who fought for everyone, even though it was probably not her dealing and Burt would cheekily constantly point her out for being nosy.

It felt like an eternity had passed ever since Elizabeth had passed. Kurt had always thought of her as his heroine, brave saccharine determination always etched on her pale perfect face, rosy tinted cheeks and the most dazzling grin that sparked both mischief and warmth. He thought she was capable of everything, with elf magic and wit that saved them from most adventures in the woods; tickling wood gnomes, trying to befriend the baffling yeti and even stealing berries from the fairies that took seed from the villagers.

Never did Kurt fear the inevitable that would befall his mother. Death was a subject that no one ever told him about, not until the illness that Elizabeth contracted; even then it was merely just a brush over because Burt insisted he knew that he could save her.

She remained fearless even after knowing that she only had little time in the world.

Kurt stole a glance at the boy resting beside him, realising that the dark haired boy had fallen asleep. Well so much for taking first watch, the hunter lamented gruffly, contemplating whether to kick his companion awake or to let him have a break.

There was a ruffle as Kurt inched closer to observe the sleeping boy.

Under the soft moonlight that oozed through the bracketed leaves of the forest, Kurt found his eyes trailing over the unperturbed features on Blaines face. Without warning, a pair of warm brown pools flickered open, and an impish grin lit up the others face.

Kurt inspected the maddeningly mischievous smirk and glowered back, completely unimpressed.

"What are you doing?" The hunter grunted idly, when he tried to move back to his spot and Blaines hand reached out to grab his wrist.

"I should be asking that question," The dark haired boy snorted, his grip tight, a spark of enthusiasm in those eyes, "You were staring at me!"

Kurt let out a snort.

"I was mulling over whether to kick you awake. First watch, remember?" With immense force, the hunter pulled his hand away grouchily, ignoring the contemptible smile on the other.

There was a soft "oh, right." And a rustle of movement as Blaine sat back up again.

A simper tickled Kurts lips and he slumped back to his spot, feeling the winter arctic breeze past his skin. It was starting to get cold and he huddled his knees together, wrapping his arms around himself; if a snowstorm hit anytime, they would be dead. Disgruntled at the fact that he had no clue where they were, he mildly cursed Blaine for not bringing them to some sort of cave to rest for the night.

Least he knew when morning would arrive; it was possibly reaching dawn in an hour or so, Kurt shut his eyes, hoping to drift to some sort of snooze. Getting forty winks with the idea of Blaine keeping watch was almost impossible, but he needed to replenish his strength.

"Hey, Kurt?"

The hunter resisted the urge to strangle the other boy.

"You said you werent familiar with the locale, didnt you?" Blaine sounded way too awake.

"Yes." Came the dry reply, Kurt gnashing his teeth.

"How do you not know?" The other boy probed on, seemingly to think that the hunter had no need of rest. "I mean, I dont mean to be rude but you are a hunter, after all."

Sighing stridently, the brunette ran his fingers through his unkempt tan hair, muttering under "hes asking for it" his breath but replying the other nonetheless.

"I am a hunter but I dont hunt all the time. This forest is gargantuan and it spans out, miles and miles away, do I look like I have a PhD in forestry?" He lampooned, rolling his eyes. "Ive been to most parts of the woodlands but I rarely have to step into the heartlands. I hunt beasts that plague the villagers – in which case, they are usually out of the forest."

"I dont see a need to put myself in mortal danger." Kurt snorted, folding his arms across his chest now, staring at his boots, "Why would someone in their right mind go, Im going to take a safe hike through werewolf territory, how fun and out of harms way would that be? Not even Sebastians stupid enough to trudge through the forest unless he needed to."

Blaine was silent for a moment and Kurt closed his eyes once more, hoping that the other was keeping his mouth zipped; but to no avail.

"How did you know where to find me then?" The boy inquired, "You were planning to bring Cooper to the Wendigos cave right?"

The hunter was mentally stabbing the other but he forced out a composed and dull reply.

"I was planning to bring Cooper to what I thought was the Wendigos cave." The brunette answered curtly, "I know its in the heart of the woods, but I cannot exactly figure out which part of it. Its been too long and Im not one to gleefully plot a hiking trip to find the cave of the brutal beast."

"But I thought that of all people, you would know how to map this place." Blaine cut in quickly, his voice inching closer.

"You do know that there are other hunters out there who can do a much better job than I can, right?" Kurt added coldly, eyes still shut. "Im sure you know all about the hunters community, that bunch of merciless mercenaries, wielding their guns and care about making profit more than the people."

"The Berrys, known for their extensive knowledge of the floors of this forest, apparently their families have surveyed the woodlands so much they made it across to the end of this vast undergrowth and back." The brunette explained when there was no answer from the other boy, recalling the image of the ever too boisterous Rachel Berry, her heels clicking dreadfully on the wooden floorboards of her house.

"They love to hang beasts like trophies in their house," Kurt shuddered at the memory of the Berrys grandiose mansion, heads of beasts hung across the dining room hall and the unforgettable yeti skin rug that he had glared coldly at. "Im glad their proficiency at using weapons isnt up to par, most of the time they only have bragging rights of easy kill, considering the fact that they only aim for the vulnerable defenceless creatures."

He let out a snarl.

"The forest has an end?" Blaine gasped in awe, "I never knew that."

"I would say the Berrys are lying but they are pretty direct, unlike the Smythes, ever treacherous and fickle. Yes, apparently this forest has an end but an opening to an immense ocean. I have never travelled that far, but according to Burt and," Kurts voice wavered slightly, "My mother," He felt a twist in his gut, "Its true. Theyve been there."

The hunter didnt need to turn to glance over at him to know that the dark haired boy probably nodded his head in reply.

Kurt let out a diminutive chortle.

"We used to be the best at combat. The Hummels were known for being able to take down the most violent of beasts, even if it was only the three of us."

"Used to?"

"Burt stopped hunting a long time ago. After everything that happened, we closed our business. Or at least, Burt did. I continued, in secret. Covert jobs you know, simple ones, usually from Santana." The brunette sighed, "Things like getting ingredients or chasing away certain creatures."

Kurt opened his eyes and flashed Blaine a snappy glare.

"Unfortunately because of a certain someone, the Hummels are presently back in business." There was a hint of disgust as the hunter realised that the dark haired boy was staring right back at him, completely undeterred by the glower.

Instead of reeling at the angsty stare, Blaine smiled back, all toothy and pleased, shrugging amiably and folding his arms over his head.

"But you actually inwardly thrilled about that, arent you?" The boy declared, a matter-of-factly, "As hazardous as the journey is right now, you are privately delighted to be hunting again."

The brunette blinked for a moment.

As much as he wanted to sew the other boys mouth shut and get his needed rest, Kurt knew that Blaine was partially right. The adrenaline rush of fighting off beasts and the satisfaction of knowing that he was productively helping someone else – it was obvious that his ardour for hunting never faded, even after Burt told him to quit.

"Im right, arent I?" Blaine sounded way too cheerful.

Annoyed by the other boys increasingly excellent observation skills, the hunter turned away, closing his eyes and pretended to ignore his curly haired companion.

He couldnt fight the fact that staring him right in the face – Blaine acted exactly like how Elizabeth operated. The skilful examination, the sentimentality (or soppiness, Kurt snorted internally), even the words he chose: it all sounded too much like her.

Emotions that he tried to keep locked at the back of his mind leaked out like a faulty tap. It wasnt like Kurt to feel anything else but annoyance; especially towards people, but he couldnt help but find himself faltering with fondness for Blaine Anderson.

It made him appalled at his self.

Even as maddening as his companion was, emotional wreckage and all, Blaine felt like a friend. Something Kurt never thought he would find again, especially after what Sebastian did to taint all sort of friendship that the hunter ever had. Trusting Blaine (even though he denied outwardly that he wasnt) seemed strangely alright.

"Hey Kurt?" Blaines voice was husky and low, "Are you still awake?"

The hunter bit his lips and forced himself to stay still. Nope, he wasnt going to reply the other boy – he needed to rest. Even as suddenly cold the lull seemed to be, Kurt kept his eyes shut and breathing slow, hopefully convincing Blaine that he was, indeed asleep.

There was a long respite of stillness.

Just when Kurt thought Blaine had finally enough of speaking, the boy spoke once more, though now softer, as if he was timorous; afraid of people eavesdropping.

"I think you are really cool, Kurt." The other boy murmured, seemingly to himself. "Unapproachable or not, you are the most talented hunter Ive ever seen."

Kurt couldnt resist a smirk that tugged gently on ends of his lips.

"All those times in the woods, I watched you and Cooper try to find me." Blaine whispered, his words falling along with the winter breeze. "I heard how you kept insisting that I was gone and your threats, they seemed all too real."

Internally, the brunette scoffed, the vivid conversations between himself and the older man running through his mind. The hunter gritted his teeth, suddenly recalling the moment he deserted Cooper to recklessly trek after Blaine.

"I was scared at first." The dark haired boy sniffled. "You know, the tales they told about the little hunter boy who lost his heart whilst saving his dying mother; I thought you would be heartless enough to just take me out."

Tales? Kurt frowned but halted himself from asking.

"Fear got the best of me and I am sorry I hurt you." There was a soft sound of shifting and Kurt forced himself to stay still as he felt the warmth of Blaines shoulder against his own.

Silence engulfed them once more and Kurt found himself drifting off peacefully into a dreamless tunnel of sleep.